True Shinobi
by Fox Sannin
Summary: After a particularly violent attack by a group of ninja and villagers Naruto finds out that his mother was the head of one of the most powerful clans in Konoha's history. Taking up her blade he carves a new destiny for himself as a member of the Shasei.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own Naruto. I do own the Shasei clan and all related info I make up for it.

Summary: The Shasei were the most honoured clan in Konoha's history. Indeed if it wasn't for them Konoha would have fallen during the Kyuubi's attack. Known as "True ninja" the Shasei clan's skills at assassination were the stuff of legend. It is said that when a Shasei marks you as its target then nature itself will turn against you. When Naruto is attacked and left to die a slow, painful death the Hokage decides that Naruto must learn of the way of his mother's clan. Naruto finds the beginnings of a family who help him recover from the horrors he had to endure while he questions whether the Fourth made the right choice in saving an ungrateful village from destruction.

**A/N: This is another one of my Naruto stories as you can see. As with all of my stories I will make try to this more than 100,000 words long and as believable as possible. As I am a sucker for romance this will be another pairing fic; NarutoxTenten. I will tell you how I handle my writing so you know what to expect, update wise. I have plans for several Naruto stories which I will publish at the same time. Throughout the course of time I will add to stories indiscriminately. I may write a lot for one story then add a bit to another before I choose to update but I will try to keep my chapters 10,000 words long. Basically I write when the inspiration hits me. Also check out my profile to see any polls and check out my other fics.**

**Also I do warn you, this first chapter is a little gory.**

**As always; read, review and enjoy.**

* * *

"Where is that little monster!?"

"I think he went that way! After him!"

Naruto snickered as the group of Chuunin ran past his hiding place. He had just finished one of his more large scale pranks on the Elders of the village; he dyed their hair orange and their clothes pink, hung their undergarments from the village gate, freed several exotic birds from the zoo (and into the Elder's homes) and to top it all off he just gave a squad of Chuunin the slip. Life was good. Pulling himself out of the cart of watermelons he was hiding in and ignoring the owner's indignant cries he made his way down the street and towards Ichiraku Ramen to get his fix. He ignored the usual glares and muttering from the general population and just stared ahead. Finally he arrived and pushed aside the curtain while calling out his order.

"Hey Teuchi! A large miso and keep them coming!"

The old ramen chef turned and smiled at his favourite customer as he prepared the order. "Hey Naruto. You know I heard the strangest things while I was at the market today. Things about a blonde menace pranking the 'honourable' village Elders." He looked over his shoulder at Naruto pointedly.

"Yeah I heard that Yamanaka girl is a right bad egg." Naruto shook his head in exasperation. Teuchi laughed heartily as he set the bowl in front of the boy and returned to the back room.

"Well from what I hear it was a whiskered boy in orange that was the cause."

Naruto spun around to find himself face-to-face with Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage of Konoha himself. The old man was decked out in his usual garb as he smiled down at the boy he considered a second grandson.

Naruto pointed at the Hokage. "I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it and you can't prove I did it!"

"What if I told you I saw you doing it in my crystal ball?"

"I'd say your eyes were failing in your old age."

Sarutobi smirked as he pulled something from his robes. "What about these plans I saw you drop on your way in here, complete with guard routes, targets and escape routes?" He waved the pieces of paper out of Naruto's reach as the boy tried to grab them. After a few moments of trying to get back the evidence Naruto sat in his chair with a huff.

"Fine be that way. So what now; I have to apologize and try to make it sound convincing?"

Sarutobi sighed as he sat down beside the boy, ordering a bowl of pork ramen from Teuchi before he turned to the whiskered blonde. "Naruto why do you do this? You know you'll get into trouble so why take the risk?"

Naruto shrugged as he scooped up more noodles. "I was bored."

"I want the real answer Naruto."

Naruto sighed and set down his chopsticks. "When I was coming to see you the other day I walked past a few of those Elders in the Hokage Tower. When I came close they gave me the usual crap; muttering threats and calling me names, stuff like that. As usual I ignored them but then I head one calling you an 'old decrepit monkey that was to stupid to kill the demon'. That really pissed me off so I decided to get even. The rest is history."

Sarutobi smiled slightly. He was probably one of the only people in the village that Naruto liked, the others being the Ichiraku family and the boy's Chuunin instructor Umino Iruka. Normally Naruto ignored everyone that he didn't trust even if he had no reason to mistrust them. He wouldn't speak to anyone in the academy, in the Hokage Tower or even ninja the Sarutobi had sent out when he was looking for Naruto. Sarutobi tried to get him to open up to others more but it was a lost cause. Naruto just didn't trust easily.

"Well Naruto I appreciate you defending my honour but you should just ignore people like that in future."

Naruto picked up his chopsticks and bean eating again. "Duly noted."

The two ate in a comfortable silence for a while until Sarutobi spoke up.

"So how has it been at the academy?"

"It's been crap. The lectures are as boring as ever, the girls are as annoying as ever and the guys are as moronic as ever. It's a good thing that the summer break has started, I was this close to killing someone."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Yes, well you only have two more years before you take the exam and then you can become a fully fledged ninja, free forever from the horrors of academy life." '_And into the terror of D-ranked missions.' _Sarutobi snickered at the thought.

They spent most of the day at the ramen stand until Sarutobi had to drag himself back to the true horror of ninja life; paperwork. The two parted ways with smiles on their faces, totally unaware of the unfriendly eyes watching them from the shadows.

* * *

Iyashii Hito used to be a ninja. He was born into a moderately wealthy family with two sisters, lived in a good neighbourhood and grew up with his two best friends Mizuki and Yuki. When the three friends graduated the academy they were lucky enough to be put on the same team. Life was going well and they had just returned after their first C-rank mission before they were informed; the Kyuubi would be attacking the village any time soon. Their sensei told them to help with the evacuations before he left them. They weren't on their own for more than ten minutes when they heard it. An almighty roar, like the bellowing of an angry god. The sky turned crimson and a wave of pure hatred flowed over the village, dropping many to their knees in primal panic. The ground shook and they turned to see a sight that would haunt many for years to come.

The Kyuubi, the Hell Fox of legend and greatest of the nine tore through the outer walls of the village like they were made of paper, sending debris and a few unlucky survivors hundreds of meters in the air and crashing down further into the village. The beast's fur seemed to glow red, the eyes redder still as its gargantuan tails flailed behind it, digging trenches in the ground and killing many. It was by far the tallest thing many had ever seen, even the Hokage Monument barely reached the top of its legs.

The Genin flew into a blind panic and ran as fast as they could to the nearest shelter. They were only a few minutes away when a nearby building exploded, sending massive pieces of its structure flying outwards. He and Mizuki escaped with only a few broken bones. Yuki didn't. She had been crushed completely, the only way of knowing that it was her under that large section of wall was the bloody arm sticking out from under the rubble. Around the wrist of the arm was one of the many beaded bracelets that Yuki was fond of making which bore her name.

Broken, bleeding and in both emotional and physical pain they managed to stumble into the shelter for medical treatment. When the Fourth Hokage stopped the demon and the attack ended they buried the dead and he and Mizuki were hospitalised. His career was over. The damage to Hito's spine left him with a bad limp and it was decided that he was unfit for active duty. Mizuki was kept on but the psychiatrist decided that he had a bad case of mental trauma and it was decided that he should only be allowed to advance as far as the rank of Chuunin until such time as he was deemed fit for promotion. It was an excuse. They knew Mizuki had no chance of being cleared.

When word got out that the Kyuubi was sealed into the body of a child they were furious. They demanded that the demon be killed as a way to get some means of revenge. What they didn't understand was why the Hokage refused. The child that was sacrificed was dead and gone, its body belonged to the Kyuubi now. But the Hokage refused to see reason, claiming that the child was innocent.

It was ten years later when Mizuki brought the news. The demon, Uzumaki Naruto, was to begin at the academy by order of the Hokage. What was even more surprising was that the Hokage would have Anbu discreetly observe the class to make sure there were no 'accidents'. Mizuki was pissed and spent a good part of the night ranting.

As Hito watched the Hokage and the demon part like old friends a thought formed in his head and a malicious smile crossed his face. He drew back into the shadows and thought about his plan to be rid of the demon forever. The only sound of his retreat was the steady _tap, tap, tap _of a cane.

* * *

Naruto whistled as he walked home, his hands in his pockets. It was dark now, having been in the ramen stand with the Hokage for most of the day they never realised that it was late until Teuchi told them the stand was closing for the night. Naruto felt guilty that he'd cause Sarutobi-Jiji another late night but the Hokage just waved his apologies off, telling him he was glad to have been able to get out of the office and catch up.

As he made his way down the dark streets he noticed the usual nightlife starting to come out. Couples were going on dates, friends were hanging out and he even saw what was unmistakably a group of women out on a Hen Night (A/N: What we call a woman's bachelor party in Scotland.). They all gave him those same annoying glares that he didn't feel like dealing with tonight so he took to the back streets to avoid any drunken idiots who wanted to try and kill him again.

He walked through the darkened alleys until he came to the edge of one of the larger training areas, designed to host over one hundred ninja for large scale training sessions. The mini forest hadn't been used since the last war and was usually open to the public as a park on select days. He decided to take a shortcut through the trees to get to his apartment.

He weaved between the large trees, unmindful of the local wildlife he could encounter. He was surrounded by darkness. To many the dark would be impossible to see through but Naruto had always possessed very good eyesight, in fact the dark was hardly an issue.

Suddenly he heard a sharp _snap _behind him and he spun on his heels to try and see what was the cause. He saw nothing in the trees or on the ground and after a minute he was on his way again.

He was walking for five minutes when he was struck from behind and his world went black.

* * *

He awoke with a pounding headache and a coppery taste in his mouth. All around him he could hear voices and below him he could feel the mulch of the forest floor and smell its earthy scent in his nose. He cranked one eye open to see the dark forest in front of him and from behind him there was a glow from what smelled like fire. It was also the direction the voices were coming from.

"I can't believe how easy that was!" One voice laughed.

"I know! The mighty demon brought down with one hit."

"What now?"

A voice crackled maliciously. "Now we go through with the plan."

Naruto mentally swore. It was more of those damn villagers and by the sound of it, it was a pretty big group. He started to plan how he was going to get out of this one when he was grabbed from behind and yanked backwards. He was dragged into the middle of a circle made up of villagers and ninja. A few had flaming torches in their hands and others had weapons of all different shapes and sizes. He was dumped on the ground with a kick to the ribs for good measure and the ninja that had grabbed him backed off into the group. He looked around and sighed. There had to have been fifty or more. He wasn't afraid, this had happened too often to wonder what would happen so he did what he always did. He would be annoyingly apathetic.

"Oh come on," He said as he looked at the gathered people. "Flaming torches? That's so cliché. What is this, a bad horror movie?"

One of the ninja scoffed. "Look the demon has some guts. Should we see what colour they are?" He tried intimidation as he pulled a curved dagger from his belt, its blade seemed to glow in the dark.

"No." Another man stopped him. He looked as if he was in his mid twenties with a powerful build and he walked with a cane. "We don't want him to die too quickly."

"Aww, you care." Naruto gushed.

The man scowled at the boy. "Be quiet you piece of shit! You're going to suffer for every single death you caused."

"Now you must have me confused with someone else. I've never killed."

Naruto could sense that the villagers were getting angry but he didn't care, it was always the same story. Beat him up, leave him for dead, he healed then the whole thing would start all over again a few days later. Really it was that monotonous.

"The little bastard's mocking us! I say we kill him now!" There were shouts of agreement throughout the but the man with the cane quickly silenced them.

"QUIET! Don't you want this demon to suffer for all the sorrow he caused? Don't you want to cause him the same pain he caused you? If we kill him outright then he would escape his proper punishment." He turned to face Naruto, a look of malicious glee plastered on his face. "Don't worry," He said to the crowd without taking his eyes off Naruto. "The demon will suffer for all the he has done."

'_Well that was ominous.' _Naruto thought.

"Mizuki!" The man called into the crowd.

'_I should have known Mizuki-teme would have been part of one of these little parties, he always was a bastard to me in class.' _Naruto sneered in his mind but his face showed only mild surprise. The light haired Chuunin stepped forward, a cruel smile on his face. "Hey Teme-sensei! Didn't know you were stupid enough to try this."

Mizuki cast a dirty look in Naruto's direction before he stepped up to the man with the cane. "Hito?" He asked.

The man identified as Hito spoke to him. "You know the plan?"

"Yeah, while he's here I, along with a few other ninja will report sightings of him on the other side of the village. He should be dead from his wounds long before any help arrives."

"Good, good." Hito mumbled. "Now, how about we make this demon pay!" He shouted to the assembled group. Unanimous agreement came in the form of cheers from the bloodthirsty group. One of the ninja stepped forward and placed a heavy looking burlap sack on the ground in front of Hito before stepping back into the crowd. The group was starting to get riled up as Hito grabbed a hold of the sack and tugged revealing what was inside.

It was a large spool of barbed wire.

As the group started to close in, weapons drawn and a mad look in their eyes, there was only one thought in Naruto's mind.

'_This is not going to be pretty.'_

* * *

Sarutobi sat in his office trying to do paperwork. Trying being the operative word. He was sitting in his chair, smoking his pipe while drumming his fingers on the desk as he looked out of his window. The reason for this state of agitation? Naruto had not shown up at his office at all that morning. Usually the boy would show up every morning and they would talk for a while. There were two reasons for these visits. He would get out of his apartment and interact with someone as Sarutobi often worried that Naruto would become a recluse and forget how to interact with others. It was part of Sarutobi's plan to get Naruto to socialise more. And the second reason was that Sarutobi would be assured that the boy was alright. When Naruto showed up every morning it allowed Sarutobi to see if anyone had tried to harm him. There had been a few attacks in the past and Sarutobi had punished those responsible accordingly but he still worried so he told Naruto to come to his office each day for a 'visit'.

But today Naruto had not arrived and that worried him.

Usually he arrived at nine o'clock every morning but since school was out Sarutobi thought that the blonde could have been having a sleep in. When Naruto didn't show up at eleven o'clock Sarutobi started to get anxious but waited. When twelve o'clock came and went Sarutobi really began to worry. Naruto would like to sleep in but he never slept this late.

Making up his mind Sarutobi finished signing his name on the form he was working on and left the office in search of the boy he considered a second grandson. He first went to Ichiraku ramen but the boy wasn't there and hadn't been there all day so he made for Naruto's apartment. The apartment building was in a secluded part of Konoha, one that Sarutobi thought would give Naruto some peace from the imbeciles that thought him a demon. To the casual observer the building appeared decrepit. The cracks that ran along its walls and the many boarded up windows were in fact a sort of camouflage. The cracks presented no structural danger and the boards on the windows gave the place a very abandoned look. Inside the apartment was a different story. Sarutobi had four apartments reconstructed to make one moderately sized home; two apartments made one floor and the two directly above made the upstairs. Naruto didn't need all the space but Sarutobi thought he deserved to have a little luxury as his life outside the walls was, for lack of a better word, shit.

He walked up the stairs and into the apartment.

"Naruto?" He called. No answer. He checked the rooms but found nothing. Now he was really worried. He swept out the door, wracking his brain for any ideas as to where the boy could be. Finding none he made a 'come here' motion with his hand an immediately he was surrounded by a squad of Anbu. The captain stepped up to him, a dog mask with blue marking covering his face.

"You summoned us Hokage-sama?"

"Inu I want you to take your team out and locate Naruto, I think something's wrong."

"With respect Hokage-sama our primary duty is to guard-"

Sarutobi cut him off. "Who am I?"

The Anbu was confused by the strange question. "You're the Hokage."

"And what is a Hokage?"

"The Hokage is the leader of the village and the strongest ninja in the village."

"So if I'm the strongest and smartest ninja in the village don't you think I can take care of myself?"

The Anbu nodded before he and his group disappeared in search of the wayward blonde. Sarutobi cast a look to the sky a heaved a heavy sigh, hoping that Naruto was alright.

* * *

It was later that night when Sarutobi sat in his office, his lit pipe encasing him in a smoky haze. There had been no word from the Anbu team he had sent out but he was expecting an update any minute now. He had tried to take his mind off thing with paperwork but he just couldn't concentrate. All day there had been a cold pit of fear in his stomach. There wasn't much that could cause a Kage fear so this showed how much he worried for the sake of the small blonde haired child. He was about to begin pacing when there was a swirl of leaves in front of his desk and from it emerged the Anbu captain.

"Report." Sarutobi ordered immediately, his hands laced in front of him.

"We began searching the usual places were Naruto frequents but we found nothing so we began searching the local hospitals and morgues but still nothing. At this point in time its safe to assume that something has happened to him and I would suggest bringing in more ninja to search for him before something happens to him." _'Although I fear something may have already happened.'_

Sarutobi nodded. "Inform Iruka, Mizuki, Tsume and her daughter, Anko, Shibi and Aoba that I want them in this office now." He ordered.

Inu nodded and disappeared. Sarutobi took up his pipe again, the bad feeling in his stomach even stronger than before.

* * *

Iruka was worried. When the Anbu captain had informed him that he was wanted in the Hokage's office he figured that the village leader wanted to go over the prospects of the next term of academy students but when he arrived to find six other grim faced ninja he knew something was up. When the Hokage mentioned Naruto his first thought was that the blonde haired youngster had preformed another one of his large scale pranks but he quickly threw aside that notion, knowing that the Hokage wouldn't have summoned that many high ranking ninja, two clan heads even, for something as trivial as that.

When the Hokage told them that Naruto was missing Iruka felt a drop of pure dread fall into his stomach. He cared a lot for the ramen loving boy and even thought of him as a surrogate little brother. He soaked up every detail that the Hokage could give and when the team deployed he headed straight for the areas that meant something to Naruto. He first went to the clearing in the forest were the boy would sometimes train but found nothing. He moved on to the Hokage Monument where he would go to think but didn't find anything. After that he tried the small shack that Naruto had constructed on a small secluded cliff beside a waterfall, the grove that was worn into the cliff face was big enough for Naruto to build a flimsy hut that he would stay in to get away from the village for a while. No luck.

Iruka searched all the places he could think of and each time he didn't find anything another drop was added to the growing pool of anxiety in his chest. Eventually it got dark and Tsume had to order him to go home and get some rest. He eventually relented and left for his bed but no sleep came, instead thoughts of what could have been happening to Naruto at that moment flitted through his head, robbing him of any chance of rest.

It was now the fourth day since Naruto went missing and Iruka was a wreck. This wasn't like the other times when Naruto had hid from everyone. He usually stayed away for a couple of hours but always checked in with Sarutobi-sama in the mornings. The constant false leads weren't doing much for her patience either. There had received reports from ninja that Naruto had been spotted in different parts of the village all week but when they went to investigate they found no clues.

Right now they were searching a warehouse where Naruto had been attacked a few years ago. Iruka had been the one to find him and the place brought back some bad memories. He climbed down from the rafters with a sigh. There were no clues here either. He was just about to check to see if Shibi had found anything when a voice called out to him.

"Iruka!"

He looked over the railing to see Mizuki standing at the door to the warehouse. "We've had another report of a boy matching Naruto's description over in the market district. One of the store owners reported seeing Naruto near the general store late last night."

Iruka sighed. The marked district was across town. As he climbed down the ladder he promised that if he found out someone was giving false tips to hinder the search he'd break their jaw. He never saw the smirk on Mizuki's face.

* * *

Sarutobi angrily paced is office. Naruto had been missing for a whole week and there was _still _no clue as to where he was. Sarutobi was considering sending for Jiraiya to aid in the search. If Naruto had been taken out of the village then Jiraiya would be able to find him. The spy network his student had constructed was very effective.

Sarutobi cast his thoughts back to an hour before and the reason for his particularly foul mood. His former team mates and current 'advisors' Koharu and Homura had arrived to discuss the search for Naruto. Even that old crippled viper Danzou had somehow wormed his way into the meeting. They believed that the search was consuming too many resources and that it should be called off. When one of them commented that Naruto's death wouldn't be any great loss and that many would even welcome it Sarutobi snapped. The amount of killing intent that had flooded forth from his body surprised even him and terrified the three that had been in front of him. He warned them that if they tried to hinder the investigation in any way then the next time anyone saw them it would be to pull their rotting corpses from the river. The three left the room as quickly as they could while trying to retain some dignity.

Sarutobi went to the large window of his office and looked out over the village. It was dark now and he could clearly see where each district of the village began and another ended. The multi-coloured neon lights of the entertainment district was by far the most eye-catching and directly beside that was the residential district, the orange glow of the streetlights giving it away. The factory district was a large section of darkness with only a few lights indicating late workers among the closed buildings. Sarutobi sighed as he rested his head against the cool glass, feeling everyone of his sixty-nine years. He thought for the thousandth time about who could have been responsible for this. He glared out at the village knowing that there were a number of people who would simply love the chance to do harm to Naruto despite his warnings and the wishes of the Yondaime. Sometimes the extent of the villages hate of a boy that had no say in who or what he was made Sarutobi want to reconsider his oath to lead and protect the village. Sarutobi silently promised that if they found those responsible then he would be there for every single interrogation and gladly sign their death warrants.

He heard the door open and someone enter.

"Hokage-sama?" It was Tsume's daughter, Inuzuka Hana. Sarutobi turned to her. The eighteen year old Chuunin was standing at attention in front of his desk with one of her nin-ken beside her. Sarutobi couldn't tell which one it was, they all looked the same to him.

"Have you found anything yet?" He asked wearily as he rubbed his temples.

Hana was a little taken aback by how old the Hokage suddenly seemed and felt for the old man. She had seen Naruto in the office plenty of times and she could see how close the two were. The Hokage had always made time for the boy and had even allowed him to sit in the Kage booth during her Chuunin exams.

"No Hokage-sama, nothing yet." She replied gently. Sarutobi sighed and slumped down into his chair. Just then the door opened and in walked Hana's mother Tsume. The Inuzuka matriarch was with her one-eyed companion Kuromaru, who went to sit beside Hana's companion. Sarutobi merely glanced at her, the question evident in his eyes. She shook her head. Sarutobi tiredly took up his pipe and looked at the two women.

"Well its getting dark, you should probably head on home and we can try again to-"

The door to the office was suddenly slammed open, cracking the wall were it rebounded. Another of Hana's companions stood in the doorway, barking at the top of its lungs. It seemed to be trying to get as much attention as it could and doing a good job of it too. Hana walked up to it and calmed by putting her hand on its muzzle.

"Whoa! Slow down. Now what were you saying?"

The dog barked a few more times and Hana spun to face Sarutobi. "He says he's found Naruto! He's alive but badly hurt! He's in training ground seventy-four!"

Sarutobi was immediately in motion, all traces of fatigue noticeably absent. "Have him show us the way! Tsume gather both teams and a medical team then follow us, use our scents to find us!" He barked as he followed Hana out the door. They rushed down the stairs and out the door into the night. Hana was surprised to find that she was hard pressed to keep up with the aged Hokage, the 'old man' was travelling at speeds that belied his age. The ran across the rooftops, the cold night air whipping around them as they moved. The training grounds were just becoming visible when Tsume pulled up alongside them, the Anbu, search and medical teams trailing her.

They dropped to the ground in front of the perimeter fence and cleared it with one leap. In front of them they could hear barking but what Sarutobi heard made him worry. There was yelping and the sound of trees being broken intermixed with the barking. He turned to the Inuzuka women.

"Tsume! Hana! Send your companions ahead and try to find out what is making those noises." The nodded and with a simple jerk of the head the three dogs raced ahead of the group while the two trackers focused chakra into their ears and noses. After a few moments Tsume turned to the Hokage.

"I can smell a lot of things coming from that direction. There are powerful scents of crow, wolf and scents of bodily fluids, faeces and a _lot _of blood. There are a lot of different scents, both old and new but by my guess there is a pack of wolves and a large murder of crows ahead. There's also one other scent; fox."

Sarutobi's face turned grim. He did not like Tsume's answer as it wouldn't mean any good for Naruto. He doubled his pace hoping to get to the clearing quicker. Oh how he would regret that choice.

It took another five minutes before they reached the clearing where the smells and noises were coming from and they broke through the trees, only to stop abruptly as they took in the gruesome scene before them. This same scene would give many of them nightmares for years to come.

It was like an image straight from the darkest pit of hell.

In the middle of the clearing was the three Inuzuka companions, snarling and taking swipes at the pack of twenty or so wolves that tried to inch closer. The trees and ground were gouged up and covered in blood, a testament to the Inuzuka clan's vicious techniques. The dogs throaty growls were mixed in with the piercing cries of the large number of crows and raven who circled above.

It was the grisly image that the companions were guarding that stopped the veteran ninja cold.

There, suspended between two trees like some kind of sick decoration, was Naruto. The young blonde was held spread-eagle a few feet above the ground. Barbed wire was wrapped around his arms, neck, stomach and everywhere else on his body, digging into his skin and causing blood and foul smelling bodily fluids to pump weakly out of his body. Oh god the blood. It was everywhere; on his body, in his hair. It was on the wire, on the trees and the ground. On the muzzles and beaks of the animals that surrounded him. There were a number of kunai, shuriken and even a kitchen knife still imbedded in his torso that looked like they might have rusted. The sick bastards had put a burlap sack over the boy's head, the thick fabric around his eyes having been torn away by the carnivorous birds and his legs and lower torso bore scratches and teeth marks from the vicious wolves.

Sarutobi heard more than one person behind him loose their lunch as he fought to keep his own. This…was inhumane. In all his years he had never seen a more vile and repulsive sight. Even the remains of Orochimaru's test subjects were found in better conditions than this.

The wolf that was thrown into the tree next to him was all it took to jar him from his stupor. He spun to face the green faced ninja behind him, still caught up in the horror in front of them.

"KILL THOSE ANIMALS AND GET HIM DOWN FROM THERE _NOW_!"

The ninja snapped round to face him before they rushed forward to clear the area. Tsume and Hana, reunited with their partners tore into the beasts, followed closely by the Anbu while Sarutobi and Shibi brought down the mass of crows with a mixture of Katon jutsu and the Aburame clan's Kikai bugs. Iruka and Anko ploughed through the beasts as they cleared the way for the medical team to get to Naruto. The clearing was filled with the bodies of the creatures in moments. Sarutobi rushed towards the group of med-nin that now surrounded Naruto.

"Well?" He demanded when he reached them.

The head med-nin was the one that answered. "He's alive Hokage-sama but barely. The amount of blood around here is ten times more than the amount in an adult male. I simply can't understand how he's survived this long but he'll be dead soon if we don't get him to a hospital. We need some help getting him down from here."

"Nekko." Sarutobi ordered. A cat masked kunoichi stepped forward, one hand on the hilt of her sword. The medical team moved way as to not get it but close enough to catch Naruto when he fell. She focused her chakra through the blade of her sword to enhance it's edge and swung. Four quick slashes and Naruto began to fall forward before he was caught in a thick blanket. The blanket would stop the bleeding and warm him while allowing the healers to carry him without hurting themselves on the barbed wire. They wrapped him in the blanket, supporting his weight between them.

The head med-nin turned to Sarutobi. "We're ready now sir."

Sarutobi nodded and turned to the Anbu squad. "I want you to search the area for _any _trace of who did this. Leave no leaf unturned."

The Anbu squad nodded and Sarutobi led the others through the forest towards the hospital. He only hoped they could get there in time.

* * *

Sarutobi paced outside the operating room. It was early morning, roughly six hours since they had found Naruto in that clearing. He looked over at the group of ninja scattered around the corridor. He had dismissed them over five hours ago but they hadn't left. He didn't blame them. You don't see something like that then go home for dinner and a good nights sleep. The Inuzuka group sat on the padded benches, the hounds being stroked by their masters. He noticed that Hana had tears in her eyes. Shibi and Anko were leaning against the wall, the latter was spinning a kunai around her fingers, obviously deep in thought. Aoba and Mizuki were talking quietly. Sarutobi saw that Mizuki didn't look concerned as much as he looked nervous. He'd investigate that later. He glanced at an obviously distraught Iruka. The tanned Chuunin sat across from Tsume with his arms crossed, staring into space and bouncing his knee. He could tell that the image of Naruto in that clearing was praying on the young Chuunin's mind because it was praying on his too.

Sarutobi shook is head and began pacing again. The thought of doing that to an eleven year old boy was something that he couldn't understand. The thought of doing that to your worst enemy was something he couldn't understand. He knew that when he found those responsible there would be no court, no trial and no jury. There would only be an executioner.

He glanced at the clock. It was nine o'clock in the morning. Usually he'd be heading to the office by now and an hour later Naruto would come bursting in the door, a whirlwind of exuberance. He was just about to suggest that the group go home for some rest when the door to the operating theatre opened and from it emerged Dr. Nanashi, the head healer. She was covered in blood but she wore a tired smile across her face.

"We managed to stabilize him and patch up all the wounds. We gave him blood transfusions and connected him to an IV to get some of the weight back after we removed all the barbed wire. He's not fully healed but he's out of the woods now."

Sarutobi hung his head back and gave a sigh of relief. His grandson was safe. He heard similar reactions behind him and he couldn't help but smile.

"Well if Naruto is alright then I suggest you all go home and get some rest. I dare say you need it. If you'd like you can come back and visit him later." The group smiled and left for the door, intent on trying to forget what they saw and sleep. Iruka, and surprisingly Anko hesitated. It was Iruka that spoke.

"Can we-I mean could we-?"

Sarutobi smiled gently and turned to Dr. Nanashi. "We'll be in Naruto's room. If you could bring him?" She nodded and Sarutobi led the two ninja into and empty patients room.

They waited in silence for a few minutes before Naruto was wheeled in on a gurney. The boy was covered in bandages and with an IV connected to his arm. His face was extremely pale and his lips seemed to be turning back from blue to their normal colour. His face was gaunt and you could clearly count the number of ribs he had without worrying about a miscount. Iruka looked like he was physically in pain.

The orderlies placed Naruto on the bed and covered in in more blankets than usual. Sarutobi thanked them as they left and he walked over to the bed. Without taking his eyes off Naruto's face he called to the doctor.

"How long do you think it will be before he wakes up?"

"Hard to tell but it'll be awhile. The amount of damage done to his body? Well…in medical terms he should be dead. I guess the only reason he survived was because of his _'special circumstances'_. But his physical wounds aren't what worry me."

Sarutobi turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"Hokage-sama think about it. Naruto was beaten, burned and stabbed before he was wrapped in barbed wire and suspended off the ground. The smell of his blood attracted predators which will have found a bound child easy prey. He contracted hypothermia from the cold and the damage that his bodily acids caused when his organs were ripped open caused severe damage as well. Couple that with the fact that his _unique _healing abilities barely kept him alive?" She shook her head. "Hokage-sama the simplest way to put this is that Naruto was being eaten alive out there for seven whole days while he was tangled in barbed wire and extremely cold. He was probably begging for a death that wouldn't come. It would be the worst kind of torture imaginable. What that would do to his mental state is beyond me."

Tears were flowing thick and free down Iruka's face as he stroked the hair of his 'little brother'. Anko had hers eyes clenched shut trying to fight back tears of her own while it was only Sarutobi's strong will that stopped his sorrow from showing. He couldn't imagine what Naruto must have gone through during those seven days. Seven days of pure constant pain was…unimaginable.

"Do you think his mind could withstand a mind walker looking through his memory?"

Dr. Nanashi scratched her head. "I don't know sir, you'd have to ask one of them. Though I'd suggest you get a natural mind walker like Yamanaka Inoichi to do it. If there is any danger then you'd want the best to be in charge."

Sarutobi nodded as he looked back over at Naruto's prone form. "I'll make the arraignments. Iruka, Anko, you should get some rest, you're dead on your feet."

The two nodded and slowly left while Sarutobi went to find the man who could possibly give him the names of those that were responsible for the attack.

* * *

Hana walked into the kitchen later that day to find her mother staring into her coffee, obviously lost in thought. She hadn't gotten much sleep, the knowledge that Naruto was alright couldn't beat back the image of him suspended between those trees like a hunk of meet. She spent hours trying to get the phantom screams of Naruto out of her head s she imagined what had been happening to him before her partner found him.

"Hey mom." She yawned as she poured herself some coffee.

"Couldn't sleep?" Her mother asked.

Hana shook her head as she sat at the table, the cup clutched in her hands. Tsume nodded and joined her daughter at the table.

"It's just so hard." Hana said after a moments silence. "I mean, who could do that to a small child? It looked like something out of a nightmare."

"It took a sick bastard to leave him the way we found him." Tsume agreed as she took a sip. "Makes you wonder don't it; anyone we passed today could have been involved and we wouldn't have known. I guess sometimes you don't know people as well as you think. If someone had told me twelve years ago that someone from our village would do that to a small kid I would have knocked him on his ass. But now…"

Hana nodded. Konoha was known as the more peaceful of the hidden villages but to do that to a small child showed that it wasn't the nice little community it made itself out to be. "I remember the last time we saw him. It was when we picked Kiba up from the academy when it let out for the summer. He was just sitting on the old tree swing looking at the other kids with their parents. You could tell he felt left out; it was in his eyes."

Tsume nodded. "Yeah, that's got to be rough; passing the advancement exam but having no one to celebrate with then seeing all the other kids go off with their families. Really hammers home the loneliness."

"Poor kid." Hana commented. "Not even a Genin yet and having to go through something that would break most Jounin. I mean god, he's just a few months younger than Kiba!"

Tsume made a noise of agreement as she drank. While she my try to get Kiba to act more mature he was still her baby. To see someone his age go through that made her think about what it would be like if that was her son. The thought gave her a sick feeling in her stomach so she put down her coffee. She suddenly found a new appreciation for her son and vowed to spend as much time with him as she could before he graduated the academy and went into thee dirty life of a ninja.

'_Speak of the devil.'_ She thought as Kiba stumbled into the kitchen, obviously just up from a late night.

"Mornin'" He grunted as he got a snack from the fridge. He looked at his mother and sister as he took a swig of milk. "You two look like crap."

They chuckled. "Rough night." Tsume told him.

He sat at the table with a sandwich while Tsume and Hana cleaned their cups. Tsume thought for a minute before she turned to Kiba. "What are you doing today?"

Kiba looked at her as he ate. "Nothing major. I was going to take Akamaru for a walk and get him used to the neighbourhood." Akamaru was his new nin-ken and Kuromaru's own pup. The white pup had been chosen as Kiba's partner just recently after it's birth and had yet to familiarise itself with its new surroundings.

"What say we take the companions to the park for the day? No training, just a family day out." She offered. Hana smiled while Kiba looked surprised.

"Okay." He said before he went to change. Hana turned to her mother.

"A day at the park huh? That should be good."

"Yeah," Tsume said as she left the kitchen. "Just a day as a family."

* * *

"Are you sure he an handle it?"

"Yes Hokage-sama. As long as he isn't dead I should be able safely walk his mind."

Sarutobi stood in Naruto's hospital room with Yamanaka Inoichi. The blonde Jounin was preparing to enter Naruto's mind to get te identities of those responsible for putting the boy in this condition.

Inoichi moved to sit beside Naruto's bed as he began the chain of hand seals for the Yamanaka's signature mind jutsu; **Shinshinten (Mind Body Change). **

"How will you remember every face in the memory?" Sarutobi enquired.

"The memory will be photographic at first before it fades completely. It stops the amount of memories we pick up in our careers from overloading our minds." He finished the seals and aimed his hands at Naruto. **"Shinshinten no jutsu."**

Inoichi's world went from the bright, sterile hospital room to a murky sewer filled with scummy water and dripping pipes. He noted that the wall bore a lot of cracks.

'_This kid is going to need some major psychiatric help for this. I'm surprised he's still sane, if only barely' _He thought as he walked down the tunneltowards the doors to Naruto's memories. He passed a large gateway from which he could hear what sounded like breathing. Whatever it was, the breathing sounded laboured. _'It must have used a lot of chakra to keep him alive.' _Inoichi mused as he moved on.

Eventually he came to a large set of double iron doors. He shoved them open to reveal a strange sight. The doors led to a wide room filled with staircases but the staircases didn't just go up and down. They went from side to side, backwards and forwards and upside down leading to doors in the floor, walls, ceiling and in the middle of other staircases. Inoichi looked normal, like he was used to seeing stairs that would be physically impossible to climb which he was. This was the Hall of Memories, the setion in every humans mind where their recollections are stored. He walked over to the closest and most recent door. Its surface was of a rusty metal and he was sickened to see claw marks on the door and barbed wire wrapped around the frame. He grasped the handle, taking a moment to prepare him self, then opened the door.

* * *

Sarutobi watched over the slumped form of Inoichi as the Jounin walked Naruto's mind. It had been a little under two hours ago that he went into Naruto's mind and he was getting fidgety. He had just eased himself into a chair when Inoichi's head snapped up as the Jounin gasped for breath like a man who just broke through the surface of the ocean. Inoichi's face was blank for a second before it took of a look of pure rage. He surged from his seat and began pacing, obviously restraining himself from running out the door.

"Hokage-sama even if you don't order the death of everyone that was in that clearing I'm still going to kill them." He snarled.

"I take it you know who was there?" Sarutobi asked.

"Oh yes." Inoichi laughed mirthlessly. "I remember the face of every single man, woman and ninja that was involved."

"Try to calm down and tell me what happened."

Inoichi took a deep breath and began. "Naruto was walking home. He took a shortcut through the training grounds when he was hit from behind. When he woke up he was in a clearing surrounded by adults. They started calling him demon and threatening him but one that looked like the ring leader stopped them. It seemed he had it all planned out. They then proceeded to beat, stab and burn Naruto with everything they had. Inside of ten minutes he was lying on the ground bleeding with multiple broken bones and his clothes had been burned away. The one with the cane had them wrap Naruto tightly in barbed wire before having the wire wrapped around the trees and Naruto lifted off the ground. The ninja then lined up to use him as 'target practice'. After 'gently' removing their kunai while remembering to leave a few in they backed off. Before they left they put raw meat under him to attract the animals, not that his blood wouldn't have done it." Inoichi looked green as he recalled all he had witnessed in Naruto's mind.

Sarutobi's face became an ice cold scowl. "Then lets get you to a sketch artist and give our criminals some faces." Inoichi nodded and together they left for the Hokage tower.

* * *

"Ugh…where am I?"

Naruto woke up in a dark chamber, floating in a pool of water. He looked around as he unsteadily got to his feet. The chamber he was in was massive; fifty feet by fifty and he couldn't see the ceiling as it was cloaked in shadow. It was what was in front of him the took his breath away. A colossal set of brass gates blocked the way down one end of the corridor. The gates were comically held shut by a poster sized piece of paper with the kanji for seal on it.

"What the hell?" He murmured as he walked closer to investigate. He peered through the gaps in the gates but everything was covered in gloom. He strained is hearing when he heard a long, low rumbling. It sounded like…breathing? Deciding that venturing any further into the strange place would be a bad idea, he took a few steps back before he turned and headed for the smaller archway out of the camber.

"**Why do you leave?"**

He froze when he heard it. The voice was deep and slightly guttural and it seemed to resound off the walls of the chamber. He slowly turned back to the cage and his breath caught in his throat. From deep within the darkness two great crimson eyes seemed to glow as the stared upon Naruto, the slit pupils giving them a predatory feel but seeming to possess great intelligence.

"**Why do you leave?" **It asked again.

Naruto gulped and tried to force out some words. "What…who are you?"

There was a great gust of wind that sounded suspiciously like a sigh. **"For one so young to have gone through that. I thought the humans of the village had more honour."**

"Who are you?" Naruto called again, a little more strongly than before. Te eyes narrowed slightly, as if sizing him up. Neither spoke as a tense silence fell until Naruto's patience finally snapped.

"Answer me! Who the hell are you and where am I!?"

A strange noise emanated from the dark and it took a moment for Naruto to realise that the thing was chuckling. Fed up with this he turned to leave again when the voice spoke up.

"**So brash. So fiery. So resilient. So much like **_**her**_**."** The thing laughed. The eyes watched Naruto walk away before they spoke. **"Why are you leaving…Naruto?"**

Naruto stopped dead. How did this thing know his name? For that matter, what was that thing?

"How do you know my name?" He asked nervously, his back to the gate.

"**I know quite a bit about you Naruto. I know that the villagers fear you, that you long for a family to call your own, that you have been alone for far too long and,"** Another sigh. **"I know why they fear you."**

Naruto gasped softly. He'd always wondered why he was treated like he was, why no one wanted him and why everyone seemed to hate him. Whenever he asked the Hokage the old man would look uncomfortable and promise to tell him one day. It infuriated him when he did that because 'one day' never came. Now here was someone who had the answer to his question.

"Why?" He whispered. "Why do they hate me?"

"**Kit look at me." **The voice said. Naruto turned to face the gates and looked into the glowing red eyes. There was the sound of movement and Naruto's eyes widened. From out of the shadows stepped a fox. The creature was large, roughly over one-hundred and fifty feet tall with well groomed red fur that seemed to shine with it's own light. Behind it, nine long tails flowed gracefully. The fox's fangs were larger than a grown man. Only one word escaped Naruto's lips.

"…Kyuubi…"

Naruto's legs began to tremble violently and he felt pure fear bubble up inside his chest. _'The Kyuubi!?' _He mentally screamed. _'How is it alive, the Fourth Hokage killed it!' _Naruto tried to step back but his legs gave out from under him and he fell with a splash into the shin high water, his eyes still locked with those of the demon.

The Kyuubi could sense the boy's fear and tried to calm him. **"I'm not going to hurt you Naruto."**

Naruto pointed a shaky finger at the large Kitsune. "B-but you're supposed to be d-dead."

The Kyuubi sighed again. **"Naruto I was never killed."**

"But the entire village was told. Why would Sarutobi-Jjij lie?"

"**Ah yes. Sarutobi. I also want to find out why that old monkey never told you what really happened. He should have told you everything the second you were old enough to understand."**

Naruto's head tilted to the side, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"**Come sit with me and I will explain." **Naruto's eyes narrowed in distrust. The Kyuubi saw this. **"I won't hurt you."**

Naruto took a few small steps forward but it was obvious that he still didn't trust the giant fox. The Kyuubi folded its front legs and eased itself onto the floor while Naruto sat outside the cage. The Kyuubi took a moment before it began.

"**Now to answer your earlier question, this place we're in is your mindscape. It is a representation of your brain, chakra circulatory system and the place where your memories are stored. It is also the location of my cell."**

"Your cell."

The Kyuubi nodded. **"Yes. This is where I was imprisoned by Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, when I attacked Konoha."**

"Why did you attack?"

The Kyuubi looked away, its large face showed great emotional pain. **"I was…tricked. I was placed in a very powerful genjutsu which sent me into a bloody rage." **The fox took a slightly shaky breath, trying to compose itself. **"I could see what I was doing and feel everything but I couldn't stop no matter how much I tried or how much I fought. It was like I was locked in my own mind being forced to watch the destruction I was causing. As strange as it sounds I was relieved beyond measure when I was defeated."**

"You sound like you were fond of the village."

The Kyuubi nodded. **"I was. I have been around Konoha since before the village was built and in times of great peril I acted as its guardian when no others could protect the village. I had many friends in the village. Friends which I was forced into killing. When I was defeated I made a vow to find those responsible for causing me to kill all those people even if it killed me."**

"But we were told you _were_ killed. How can you be in my mind?"

The Kyuubi sighed again and composed itself. **I better start from the beginning. Eleven years ago when I attacked Konoha the ninja of the village tried to beat me back, a impossible feat considering I am the most powerful and ancient of all demons. It wasn't a battle; it was a massacre. Eventually the Fourth arrived on the field atop Gamabunta, the boss of the toads. We fought for over two hours to a standstill. Never let it be said that **Hirashin no jutsu **isn't effective. Anyway, I could tell that Minato was getting tired and when Gamabunta paused for a breather I struck."** The Kyuubi chuckled. **"I should have known it was a feint. The second I was close enough Gamabunta stabbed me through the mouth with his tanto, holding me in place just as Minato finished a series of hand seals. Suddenly everything went cold and I could feel my soul being split; one half into Minato and the other into the small child in his arms."**

"Me?" Naruto asked disbelievingly.

The Kyuubi nodded. **"Yes. Minato sealed my conscious and my yin chakra into you while he took my yang chakra."**

Naruto's face was downcast, his hair overshadowing his eyes. "Why me?" It was almost inaudible. "Why did he chose me? Why was I chosen then left all by myself? Why the fuck did he do this to me!? My life's been hell because of him!"

"**Naruto…"**

Naruto was up and pacing now. His anger was boiling inside his chest and he needed to get it out somehow. "Didn't he know what my life would be like!? Every single day I've been treated like crap! I can't walk down the street without some damn villager glaring at me or calling me names! I can't buy decent food and what I can get is overpriced! I'm lucky if I can go a week without being attacked!" He was standing in front of the great brass bars of the seal, beating his fists bloody against them. Tears were in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. "Those damn villagers spat on me, beat me up, burned me all because of what he did! They…they…"

The Kyuubi looked at Naruto with worry. **"Naruto? Are you okay?"**

Naruto was too far gone to hear the fox. Images flashed through his mind at an alarming rate. Images of blood and fire, the sound of shouting villagers, his screams and the cries of wolves and ravens stormed his mind as he recalled what happened in the forest. He began to tremble violently before he collapsed. Tears ran down his face unchecked and he curled into a ball trying to ward off the phantom pain of being eaten alive over and over again. He was unaware of the Kyuubi's concerned voice or the water that his head was submerged in. He was aware of the pair of arms that wrapped around him, drawing him into a comforting embrace and the enchanting song that hung in the air, chasing away the pain and the bad memories while filling him with a great sense of warmth. He wrapped his arms around the source of comfort and cried. He cried long and he cried hard until he couldn't cry anymore. He basked in the peaceful aura for a while longer before reluctantly pulling back to meet the most amazing sight he had ever seen.

In the place of the Kyuubi was a woman. She appeared to be in her twenties with long dark red hair that was brushed to give it a silky sheen and pulled back into a long ponytail that was held together by golden cylindrical clasps that fell to the back of her knees. She had a beautiful face and pale porcelain skin that seemed to glow with an inner light. Her eyes were striking; two emerald green orbs with slit pupils that expressed a wisdom and compassion far beyond the level capable of humans.

She wore fine robes. She wore a long black inner kimono that fell to her feet with a pure white obi tied around her waist and held together by a red silk sash. On her feet she wore a pair of highly polished black wooden sandals with small flowers painted on and a pair of tabi socks. Her outer kimono was magnificent. It was black with an intricate design of white swirls on it, each swirl branching off like a vine to create another swirl, the long sleeves of which fell past her hands.

Naruto could honestly say that he had never seen a more beautiful woman and doubted he ever would. She looked like an angel from heaven itself. She smiled a gentle loving smile at him as he tried to form words.

"Who…who are you?"

She laughed. The sound rang in the air like a thousand merry bells. **"I'm the Kyuubi, Naruto." **She told him.

Naruto blinked. "But…you were a fox." He had realised that he was in the Kyuubi's cage but oddly he felt like he wasn't in danger. Rather he felt a sense of security being there.

"**All kitsune have the ability to take human form. You remembered what happened to you in the clearing and you were going into shock. I did what I could to comfort you until the memories passed." **Her voice sounded ethereal and otherworldly, totally different from the guttural sounds she made as a fox.

Naruto began to well up again at the thought of what happened to him and the Kyuubi pulled him into another embrace, rubbing his back softly and whispering comforting words in his ear. He managed to compose himself but didn't leave the Kyuubi's embrace.

"Why did he chose me?" He asked.

The Kyuubi sighed softly as she rubbed his back. **"I don't know Naruto. I'm sorry."**

Naruto hiccupped as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "So what now?"

The Kyuubi cupped his chin and raised his head so that she was looking into his puffy red eyes. **"You were very close to death but I managed to force enough of my chakra trough you to keep you alive. I'm so sorry that you had to spend all that time in the forest. Believe me, there were a lot of moments where I thought about cutting off my supply of chakra so that your suffering would end. Right now you are in hospital resting and it will take a few more days before you wake up and even then you will still be weak while your body recovers. After that I want you to find Sarutobi and give him a message from me. Tell him that Shiori demands that he tells you the truth about your mother."**

Naruto looked up at her confused. "Who is Shiori? And what about my mother? Sarutobi-Jiji told me she was a Jounin that was killed in the attack."

She smiled down at him **"I'm Shiori. You didn't think my name was 'Nine-tails' did you?"** She asked with a smirk. Then she frowned. **"And yes, your mother did die in the attack but there is so much Sarutobi hasn't told you about who she was and who you are. Now," **She said with a playfully stern voice. **"You need your rest so off to bed."**

Naruto looked around, noting the dreary sewer didn't have anything in the way of furniture. "Uh Shiori-nee-chan?" Shiori looked surprised at the title but then her face broke into a radiant smile.

"**Yes?"**

"There are no beds."

Shiori stood, taking Naruto's hand in hers and tugging him up with her. She swept out her arm as if showing the chamber off. **"This is **_**your **_**mind Naruto. If you want something here then all you have to do is imagine it."**

Naruto nodded in understanding and closed his eyes, picturing his bed form his apartment. When he opened his eyes he was astonished to see it standing a few feet in front of him. He looked up at Shiori when she made a disapproving noise.

"Shiori-nee-chan?"

"**We need to get you out of that apartment. That is no place for a child to live." **She gestured with her arm and the tatty bed vanished only to be replaced with a warm looking king sized four poster bed. Naruto quickly scrambled under the covers and relaxed into the comfy mattress with a sigh. It was much better than the ratty worn thing he usually slept in and he couldn't even feel the springs. Shiori tucked him in and sat on the edge of the bed as she began to sing softly. The melody was so soothing that Naruto felt he could have listened to it forever. For the first time in his life Naruto fell asleep totally content and happy.

* * *

Sarutobi walked into the hospital early in the morning. He decided to visit Naruto before he joined Ibiki and Anko down in the Torture and Interrogation Division. They had made over forty arrests when Inoichi provided all the identities of those that had been involved in the attack and the rest were being rounded up at that moment. He had been disgusted with the people involved, especially the ninja. He'd sent Iruka to personally fetch Mizuki when his part in the plan was discovered. He later reported that Mizuki refused to cooperate and attacked leaving Iruka no choice but to kill him. He didn't believe him but he support him if his actions ever came to light.

It had been a little over a week since Naruto ad been found and he was still sleeping but Dr. Nanashi said that he would be awake any day now. Sarutobi was glad. Even though Naruto was fine physically Sarutobi was more worried about his mind. He had already asked Ibiki to perform a couple of tests on Naruto when he wakes up and if necessary become the boy's councillor. Ibiki was a master of the mind and an expert when it came to fixing trauma. He was often called upon when a ninja suffered from particularly severe trauma from a battle. Even though he used his skills mainly for torture Ibiki had many other layers to him.

He stepped into Naruto's room and went to the window. Throwing it open he then turned and sat at the well used seat beside Naruto's bed. Over the last couple of days many of the ninja who had been involved in the search had dropped in to check on the boy and even leave cards and other well wishes. Sarutobi smiled as he looked at the small bedside table crammed with cards. It was so easy to be sucked in by Naruto but not many gave him the chance.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a low moan and he looked immediately at Naruto. The blonde was trying to turn his head away from the light coming in through the windows, his eyes clenched shut as he mumbled under his breath. He was waking up!

"Naruto." Sarutobi said softly. "Naruto are you awake?"

Naruto's head turned towards the noise and slowly his eyes opened to reveal a pair of cerulean blue orbs staring hazily at the Hokage.

"Jiji?" The boy croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse. Sarutobi immediately reached over and poured him glass of water. The boy drained the glass and let out a satisfied sigh. "Thanks, I needed that."

"How do you feel Naruto?" Sarutobi asked as he took his seat once more.

Naruto shrugged. "Back's a little stiff and my throat feels like it's clogged with sandpaper."

"Naruto." Sarutobi said sternly. "I want a real answer."

Naruto sighed as he rubbed his neck. "My throat does feel sore. My skin feels a little tender and I have a bit of a stomach-ache. I feel a little weak and stiff. Other than that I'm fine."

Sarutobi nodded. It was better than he could have hoped nut he shouldn't have been put into that condition in the first place.

Naruto popped his neck and groaned. He felt s stiff as a board. He stretched and groaned in comfort as his bones righted themselves.

"**I really wish you wouldn't do that Naruto, it's a horrible sound, especially from where I am." **A voice said.

Naruto looked around the room, startled. _'I wonder who said that?'_

"**It was me Naruto. Shiori?"**

Naruto's eyes widened. _'Shiori-nee-chan? Where are you?"_

"**I'm still in your mind Naruto. I can see, smell, taste and feel everything you do from here. I can also communicate with you as you can see, or rather hear."**

"Naruto are you alright?" Sarutobi asked. He saw the boy look around the room seemingly confused before he stared off into space.

Naruto's head snapped round to face the Hokage, startled by the sudden interruption of his mental conversation with Shiori. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine."

"**Naruto give him the message."**

"_What? Now?'_

"**Yes, the sooner you tell him the sooner we get some questions answered. Also it should answer any questions Sarutobi has about any odd behaviour on your part."**

"Naruto are you sure-?"

Naruto cut him off. "Jiji?"

"Yes?"

"Shiori demands that you tell me the truth about my mother."

Sarutobi went pale. There was only one was Naruto could have known about Shiori. "So you two have finally met? Then you know what really happened on the night of the Kyuubi attack?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I know what the bastard Fourth did to me."

Sarutobi frowned. "Naruto surely you understand that he did what he did to save the village."

"Yes," Naruto said. "I know he saved a bunch of ungrateful bastards and damned me in one go."

"What else could he have done Naruto? People were dieing left, right and centre. He had to make a choice to save the village."

"And naturally he chose the least bothersome choice. Instead of asking any of the 'proud families of Konoha' to provide a child to save the village he chose to just grab me off the street. He could have chosen someone else. Someone with a family so that even if the rest of the village shunned them there would be people that cared for them. Instead he picked up an orphan. Probably figured that no one would miss me if something went wrong, huh?"

Sarutobi was shocked at the sheer resentment in Naruto's words. The boy had always looked up to the Fourth and idolised him but it seemed that this latest attack had finally led him to resent the village and his life in it.

'_I can't tell him the full truth about Minato right now. If I do it could lead to Naruto hating him forever. I just have to hope he can move past his resentment.' _The Hokage decided.

"Anyway." Naruto said. "My mother?"

Sarutobi pondered it for a moment before he looked up at Naruto. "I don't think this would be the best place to discuss this. If you wait a day or two then you can rest while I get things organised. I'll tell you then."

Naruto frowned. "This isn't another one of your attempts to avoid answering the question is it?"

Sarutobi sadly shook his head. "No Naruto. I give you my word that you'll have your answers within three days. All I ask for is a little time. I daresay you aren't the only one who will want answers."

Naruto thought for a moment. _'What do you think Nee-chan?'_

"**He seems to be truthful Naruto. I say we trust him."**

Naruto nodded. "Alright. Three days."

Sarutobi nodded and stood from his chair, dusting off his robes as he stood. "I should also ask you not to wander while you're here. Maybe you could pass the time reading your cards." He suggested as he left.

Naruto looked around and was shocked to discover a table full of colourful get-well cards. He reached out with a trembling hand and picked the first one up and began to read the note.

'_No one has ever given me one of these before.'_

* * *

The three days came and went and now Naruto stood in is hospital wearing a change of clothes that Iruka had gotten for him from home. It was nine o'clock and he was waiting for the Hokage to show up. The old man had told him to be ready as they were going out of the hospital. Naruto felt apprehensive about going out in public again but Shiori quickly calmed him, reminding him that he would be with the Hokage at all times and that no one would be able to harm him.

He didn't have to wait long before the door opened and in walked the Hokage, followed by two Jounin. Naruto recognised Ibiki straight away, the scarred interrogator had asked him bunch of questions before writing something down on his notepad. The Hokage said that Ibiki would be counselling him for his trauma. Naruto didn't need to ask what he meant. Every night for the past three days he had woken up screaming from nightmares about his time in the forest and it was only through Shiori's melodies that he could get any sleep at all as he was extremely reluctant to allow any of the doctors near him with a needle to sedate him. The second Jounin was someone who he had only heard about. Iruka had described Mitarashi Anko to him (while blushing like mad) and he'd even gotten a card from her that was decorated with dango. She also scribed a rather lewd joke on the back as a way to cheer him up. He still blushed when he thought about it.

"Good morning Naruto. Are you ready?" He asked.

Naruto nodded. "You bet old man. But can I ask, why are Ibiki and Anko here? Not that I'm complaining but I thought you were going to tell me about my mother."

"We are but some of the things I want to talk about concern Ibiki and Anko as well so I told them to come along. Well if you're ready?" Sarutobi asked as he bade Naruto towards the door. Naruto followed them out of the hospital and into the village. Naruto made sure to stay right beside the Hokage and kept his eyes down. Even though he couldn't see them he could feel the stares of the villagers on him. He was extremely tense, trying to make his body as small as possible while straining his ears to pick up any trace of someone who would try to sneak up on him.

Fifteen minutes later, although it felt like hours to Naruto, and the group came to the main gate. As they left the village Sarutobi made mental note to have a 'chat' with the Chuunin manning the gate after he heard him asking his partner if they were going out to 'put the fox to sleep'.

They walked down the traveller's road before Sarutobi veered off into the trees, the others close behind. Naruto unashamedly held the Hokage's hand all the way. The shaded tress brought back bad memories and Naruto silently willed the Hokage to move faster. The soon found an old footpath that looked like it hadn't been used in a few years. Sarutobi stopped them before handing each of them a medallion. They were fairly simple; all black with a white tree on the coins. Above the tree to the right was a white sunburst and to the left was a white crescent moon. Naruto didn't know what they were for but judging from the shock on the faces of Anko and Ibiki they knew.

"Is this-?" Anko asked before she was cut off.

"Yes," Sarutobi said. "Although wait till we're inside before you start asking questions."

Anko nodded before her face took on a dark look. "You'd better have a damn good reason for bringing me."

"I do Anko." Sarutobi said gently. "But we should get inside before we talk."

They followed the path for twenty minutes before the trees suddenly cleared and they came upon thee base of a mountain. Sarutobi showed them to a stone stairway and led them up it before it ended abruptly. They stepped onto a small ledge but there was nothing to see except solid rock.

"The medallions." Sarutobi ordered as he grasped the round metal in is hand. Naruto took out his medallion and watched in fascination as a section of the wall seemed to warp before disappearing completely. Naruto, Anko and Ibiki cautiously followed Sarutobi who strolled forward casually. The section of wall had vanished to reveal a small chamber containing only a single pillar that stood in the centre of the room and was raised to waist height. The top of the pillar was cut diagonally so that the top of the pillar faced the entryway they had just entered from. Aside from the door they had used there didn't appear to be any other doors. Naruto looked at Sarutobi in confusion.

"What is this place Jiji?"

Sarutobi waved him over to the pillar. "You'll see in a moment. Just press your had here and push chakra into the pillar."

Naruto did as instructed and stepped up to the stone. Placing his hand on the presented face of the pillar Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated to force chakra out of his hand.

Suddenly there was a great grinding sound and Naruto's eyes snapped open. The wall in front of them was being raised up like a portcullis, sunlight streaming into the chamber from underneath it. Naruto stepped in front of the pillar and watched with rapture as the door was raised, faintly aware of the others joining him. When the wall was raised the sight before him took Naruto's breath away.

Sarutobi placed a hand on his shoulder and the boy dumbly looked up, still numb from what he was seeing. "This is the home of arguably some of the most powerful ninja in history. It was the clan that your mother belonged to and the clan which you belong to. This Naruto, is the clan village of the Shasei."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto. I do own clan Shasei and all related info for it I make up.

**A/N: My Kushina is different from the Kushina in the manga. It's just that the Kushina in the manga and my description of Shiori were too similar for my liking. If you don't like it then just think of Kushina as she normally looks.**

**I wont do the translations for jutsu that most people already know (e.g. Hirashin, Kage Bunshin, Henge, etc.) but I will put a translation next to everything else.**

* * *

Naruto's eyes were wide, his jaw slack as he looked at his ancestral home. Sarutobi was correct when he called this a clan village.

Sprawled out in front of him was a massive circular garden, twice the size of the arena. It had a dozen or so large trees arranged around it and it was littered with flower beds that filled the air with their natural fragrance. He noticed that around the edge was one long Zen garden, the sand finely combed around smooth rocks. Through the middle of the garden was a long stream that snaked its was through the garden from a small waterfall at one end that filled a round moderately sized pond in the exact centre of the garden before continuing on to disappear down a vent in the opposite wall.

Naruto took a few steps forward, his head spinning wildly, trying to take the place in. "Th-this is…amazing…"

"Yes." Sarutobi said with a small smile as he took in his surroundings. "The Shasei were very proud of their gardens. They are a wonder to behold."

Naruto looked around for a moment before he noticed something strange. There were no floodlights or lamps to give off any of the light that flooded the garden. Puzzled, he looked up and his breath was once again taken in awe. Roughly two-hundred and fifty meters up where the top of the mountain should be there was a large hole directly over the garden allowing sunlight to flood the inside of the mountain.

"How…how is…" Naruto couldn't form words.

"One of the Shasei's many natural skills included rather powerful genjutsu, as you saw with the entryway. The entire mountaintop is just one large illusion. You'll find many such illusions around here." Sarutobi explained.

Naruto barely heard him. His eyes were gazing up at the inner walls of the mountain. He realised that the inside of the mountain was a large, hollow, perfectly shaped cylinder, stretching from the edges of the garden all the way up to the tip, taking out the mountaintop. Around the inside of the mountain were ten different levels of floors, each made of expensive dark green veined white marble. The architecture was gorgeous, the pillars and banisters having realistic vines of leaves working around them, blossoming with stone flowers. The white stone seemed to glow in the morning sun.

Naruto was is shock. _This place _was the home of his family? When Sarutobi had told him that he was going to 'organise things' before he told him about his mother, Naruto thought that he was going to be shown his mother's apartment when she was a Jounin. This was one BIG apartment.

"Let's go somewhere where we can talk before Naruto catches a fly in his mouth." Sarutobi quipped before he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and led him to the edge of the garden and through one of the large arches that encircled the it into the first floor of the mountain. The first floor was a large space filled with supportive pillars spaced at regular intervals before they came to a wide staircase that spiralled up half way around the inside of the mountain, another spiralling the other way. They were led all the way up to the top floor and they stepped out into a carpeted hallway lined with beautifully crafted weapons, no two of which were the same but all were magnificently crafted. Under each weapon was a number and a name.

"Those are the names and weapons of each Shasei ninja that held the title of Lord Shasei. The number shows who held the title first, second, third and so on." Sarutobi explained. They walked through the corridor until they finally came to a set of polished oak doors. The right and left door bore a carved sunburst and crescent moon respectively. Naruto looked at Sarutobi who nodded and he grasped one of the golden handles and turned it.

The doors opened into a large office. It was a 'D' shape with tapestries lining the long curved wall that depicted what looked like important moments in the clan's history and the entire straight wall was a large window that looked out over the forest towards Konoha. _'Probably another illusion over the window.' _Naruto thought. Where the rest of the village was made of marble, the walls of the office were a dark wood and the luscious woven carpet was a deep red with a golden vine pattern covering it. The vines converged to the middle of the room where there was a golden band encircling the symbol of the tree, sunburst and moon. Directly opposite the door was a large wooden desk surrounded by plush chairs. Behind the desk and slightly to the side was a weapons rack which held one of the most beautiful and deadly looking weapons Naruto had ever seen.

The weapon was double-bladed voulge. It was just over sixty inches long from tip to tip. The long handle had a oiled black leather grip that had a detailed golden vine wrapped around the length. The blades were about a foot long and roughly five inches wide, obviously meant for hacking. The blades had a certain look to them, both elegant and brutal. They had a good mix of smooth curves and wicked spines, not to brutal and not to ornate. The blades were black and the edges glowed silver. On the main part of one blade the metal had been cut out in the shape of a sunburst and on the other the metal was removed in the shape of a crescent moon.

"**That was your mother's weapon; Yoruhiru." **Shiori said softly. **"It was one of the finest weapons I have ever seen. When she wielded it in battle it was as if she were dancing. It was beautiful."**

'_My mother's weapon…' _Naruto couldn't believe it. Right in front of him was a connection to the mother he had never known, proof that he had family. He took a few hesitant steps forward, almost afraid that the sight before him would vanish and he would wake up in the hospital to discover that it had all been a dream. Sarutobi, Anko and Ibiki stepped around him to take the three seats in front of the desk leaving Naruto no choice but to take the one behind the desk. The one where Lord Shasei would sit.

"Well Naruto," Sarutobi said once everyone was seated. "I promised you the truth about your mother and I am about to deliver but first there are just a few things we need to sort out first." He turned to Ibiki and Anko. "Before we begin let me tell you that everything that is said today will be classified as an S-class secret. That means nothing goes beyond this room. If you break this law or are about to break it, it will mean immediate execution. Is that clear?" The two Jounin nodded and Sarutobi sat back in his chair. "Well I think I should tell you a bit about clan Shasei so you aren't left in the dark."

"Long before Konoha was founded there was a time of endless war. Nations fought nations in a constant state of unrest and more often than not the ninja clans were hired for their almost superhuman skills. At this time there were four clans that rose to power among all others. They were the Hyuuga, the Uchiha, the Senju and the Shasei. Each clan had carved out their own territory and established peace within their borders as no enemy would attack them, save for one of the other three clans. The Hyuuga were feared for their all seeing eyes of the Byakugan. The Uchiha were feared because of the abilities granted to them by the Sharingan. The Senju were feared because of their skills at planning attacks and building defences as well as their skills at manipulating elemental chakra. The Shasei were feared because of their unparalleled skills at stealth and assassination as well as the fact that their elemental manipulation skills surpassed those of the Senju."

Sarutobi paused for a moment and stroked his beard in thought. "It was speculated that the Senju were actually an off-shoot of the Shasei because of their skill with the elements but it was never proved and the clans refused to comment on it but it was well known that the two clans held a close friendship."

"Anyway, over time the wars had begun to take its toll on the land and the leaders of the ninja began to worry that the structure of government would collapse and the world would descend into chaos. The leader of the Senju, Senju Hashirama and the leader of the Shasei, Shasei Sakidasu formed a plan to bring stabilization to the land in the form of the Hidden Villages. The plan was that each country would be ruled by a daimyo who was in charge of administrative business in the country and had in his service samurai to keep order, while the ninja would enforce their leader's will and prevent any enemy intrusions into the land. The leader of the ninja had control of the military and the daimyo had control over everything else so no one could control the other."

"Eventually Hashirama and Sakidasu gathered the Aburame, Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi clans and eventually the Uchiha and Hyuuga to form Konohagakure in the Land of Fire. With their influence the Land of Fire was stabilized and began to flourish. Seeing this, the other countries followed their example and the Elemental Nations were formed."

"The Shasei were the most powerful clan but they didn't lord it over the others. They were very humble people. Each clan contributed to Konoha's military structure in some way. The Inuzuka crafted the hunter-nin, the Uchiha created the Military Police, the Nara's created the advisory position for the Hokage. The Shasei probably created one of the most important additions; they were the first Anbu. They filled the role of Konoha's best assassins and infiltrators and it was extremely rare for them to fail a mission. As a result the Hokage bestowed upon them the honorary role of his guardians, warriors with the Hokage's complete trust and recognition as the finest ninja in Konoha. It was their duty to protect the Hokage and they never failed. The only reason that the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage's were killed was because they ordered their Shasei protectors to go help fellow Konoha ninja that were loosing in battle. The trust in the Shasei was so absolute that the Shasei clan village was the only place that the Hokage would go without a guard unit; the Shasei mountain was the home of his guards."

Naruto sat in silence as he listened. He couldn't believe that his clan was responsible for bringing peace to the Elemental Nations, the creation of the Anbu _and_ the bodyguards of the Hokage. It was unimaginable. He wanted desperately to hear more of his clan's history but right now he wanted to hear more about his mother.

"And my mother?" Naruto asked.

Sarutobi smiled and his eyes took on a glazed look, his mind delving into fond memories. "Your mother was one of the greatest leaders that the Shasei ever produced. Her name was Shasei Kushina."

A strangled gasp had them turning towards Anko. The Kunoichi had her hands clasped over her mouth and tears in her eyes as she looked at Naruto. "I-I always thought…you looked so much like her…but how? We thought you died…"

"I think I'd better explain." Sarutobi said, seeing Naruto's confusion. "At one point in time Anko was the student of one of Konoha's most notorious criminals; my former student Orochimaru. We found out he was performing experiments on fellow ninja and he fled the village. We found Anko some time later. We searched her mind and assessed that she didn't have a hand in the experiments so we reinstated her as a Genin. The problem was that the horrors that Orochimaru caused were still fresh in the minds of the people of the village and no one would have her on their teams. Then your mother came along."

"She saw that Anko wasn't like Orochimaru and she came to me with a request to have Anko put on her team. She had just lost one of her Genin on a mission and she needed a replacement so I agreed."

Anko turned to the Hokage, anger evident in her eyes. "Why the hell did you never tell me who he was? I could have looked after him! I owed it to Kushina-sensei!"

Naruto turned to face the Hokage. Here was someone who was willing to care for him when he was growing up and would have looked after him if she knew who he was. He wanted answers.

Sarutobi sighed. "Anko you had just turned fourteen and were a newly promoted Chuunin, there was no way you could have looked after a child all by yourself. I had planned to tell you soon, if not when Naruto was in his third year at the academy then at least when he graduated. I wanted to tell you but I didn't want you to struggle raising a child alone and that would have been more difficult considering who you both are."

Anko grit her teeth. He was right, it would have been rough raising a child alone at fourteen while having her Chuunin duties and those damn villagers would have made life difficult but that didn't mean she had to like it. She glanced at Naruto and berated herself for not seeing it before. Naruto had the exact same facial structure and eye shape of his mother and from what she had heard his personality was not far off either. If she had noticed it before she might have been able to go to the Hokage and try to adopt Naruto sooner and he would have had to be beaten or neglected by those ignorant villagers. He wouldn't have went through _that_…

Naruto slumped slightly in his chair. He understood Sarutobi's reasoning and he wouldn't want to have caused Anko any more trouble than she already had if what he was saying about Anko's standing in the village was true.

"Can you tell me about her?" He asked quietly as he looked at Anko. If she was his mother's student then she would know a lot about her right?

Anko smiled slightly as she looked at Naruto. This wasn't one of her notorious bloodthirsty grins she used to freak out her enemies, this one was full of nostalgia and fond memories. "Kushina-sensei was one of the greatest people you could ever hope to meet. She was short, only 5'3 with short, slightly spiky dark blue hair and dark eyes with a few flecks of turquoise in them that always had a hint of mischief in them. She was a prankster at heart and it showed in how she fought. She would dance around her opponent, dodging every attack and strike back in the sneakiest ways possible. She was kind, loving, she always enjoyed a good laugh and she never stood on ceremony. Something about all that 'Kushina-sama' thing making her feel old." Anko grinned. "I used to tell her she was old and she'd chase me all around Konoha." She looked at Naruto. "I'll never forget the look on her face when she found out she was pregnant, she was bouncing of the walls she was so happy." Anko laughed loudly. "You should have seen the look on her face when she watched a birthing video for the first time! I never knew someone could go that pale that quickly! She didn't care though, she was so happy."

"**It's true."** Shiori said, a reminiscent smile on her face. **"For the whole nine months she had a smile on her face."**

Naruto listened with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. For years he wondered what his mother looked like, what she was like, how did she act and now he was finally getting his answers. However there was one thing that he still wanted to know.

"What happened to her?"

Sarutobi looked at the ground, an unreadable expression on his face. "There is a fact about the Shasei that only the clan and the Hokage are aware of. It is the source of many of the Shasei's skills and abilities and one of the reasons that the Shasei built this mountain. The Shasei had a close connection with the Kyuubi, they were its protectors and under its protection."

Anko and Ibiki gasped. They had always assumed that the Kyuubi was a rampaging monster. It had certainly seemed that way when it attacked.

"What do you mean?" Anko asked. "The Kyuubi went on a rampage and killed the Shasei before attacking the village."

"That wasn't Shiori-nee-chan's fault!" Naruto interjected quickly. "She was under a genjutsu."

Anko looked at him, confused. "Who is Shiori?"

"Shiori is the true name of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. She was also an advisor and trainer of the leaders of the Shasei." Sarutobi informed her.

"What do you mean?" Ibiki asked.

Sarutobi scratched the side of his head. "I see I didn't do back far enough when I talked about the Shasei's history."

"Well, many years ago the Shasei came to this mountain in the hopes of setting up a new home for themselves but they found out that someone had already moved in; Shiori. They didn't attack as many would do, instead they approached her with a request; let them make the mountain their home and they would worship her. Shiori had heard about the Shasei's gentle and benevolent nature so she allowed them to stay for one year while she observed them to see if they were worthy. The Shasei began to build their home and Shiori was impressed with their close relationship with nature, a relationship normally beyond humans."

"Five months after they moved into the mountain there was a great famine in the Land of Fire and many people in the surrounding villages began to die. The Shasei had amassed a large harvest that year so they rationed their food and spread as much of it as they could to the surrounding villages. The famine went on for some time and the Shasei began to feel the strain of providing for so many but they didn't pull their support."

"Two months later they received word; an army from the Land of Wind planed an invasion of the Land of Fire and their troops would arrive by the end of the month. The Shasei knew that the daimyo of the Land of Fire was an incompetent fool who allowed his people to starve while he sat at great banquettes so they took action. They gathered the villagers from the villages and brought them inside the mountain while they trained to defend their home. The month ended and they received word that Wind's army had entered northern Fire Country. The army swept over the land cut found no inhabitants or valuables. One of their scouts reported seeing people going in and out of a nearby mountain so the army converged on it, surrounding it and cutting off all escape."

"This is interesting Jiji but what has this got to do with what happened to my mother?" Naruto asked.

I'll get to that eventually but it is important to know of the connection between the Shasei and Shiori." Sarutobi placated.

"The siege of the mountain lasted over three months and it was beginning to take its toll. Food was becoming scarce, the numbers of Shasei defending the mountain were being thinned and the defences were becoming eroded. Pretty soon the enemy would break through. Then Shiori acted."

"She admired the Shasei for their willingness to help strangers at the cost of their own life and saw that the Shasei needed help or they and the villagers would all die. She approached the leader of the Shasei with an offer; she would teach them the secrets of chakra, train them in combat and assist them to push back the enemy army if they promised to use the gifts she gave them to defend those who could not defend themselves. The Shasei readily agreed and soon Shiori began to teach them the ways of the ninja. She granted them the ability to cast extremely powerful illusions, taught them how to mould and use chakra, taught them forgotten kenjutsu styles and how to move without being seen. The Shasei also managed to use chakra to help grow crops and fortify their walls while they snuck into the enemy camps and sowed disorder and killed the leaders."

"It was another month before the Shasei and Shiori sprung their trap. The Shasei had spent months digging under the enemy camp and setting up explosives and tunnels for their ambushes before they were used. Shiori, in her Nine-tailed Fox form erupted from the top of the mountain, sending massive boulders and fire down upon the army as she charged. At that same moment the explosives under the camp were detonated, killing thousands of enemy soldiers while the Shasei erupted from their tunnels, using their new skills to the fullest. They cast terrifying illusions that shook the enemy while they used their kenjutsu to cut down anyone foolish enough to get near. Their senses and reflexes, advanced thanks to Shiori, allowed them to avoid being crushed by her during her rampage. Though the Shasei were outnumbered five-to-one they used the element of surprise and their new skills to slaughter thousands and with the help of the Empress of the Demons they drove the few remaining enemy survivors into a hasty retreat. The Shasei were hero's. The villagers were eternally thankful for all the Shasei had done for them and the Shasei vowed to protect the Land of Fire with their lives. Shiori allowed the Shasei to stay in the mountain and swore an eternal friendship with them as long as they remembered their vow. Many years later the Shasei helped build Konoha and all connection between the clan and Shiori was forgotten."

Everyone sat back trying to digest what they had just heard. To Ibiki and Anko they didn't think that the Kyuubi, or rather Shiori was a kind natured person who helped defend Fire Country and gave birth to one of the greatest ninja clans to ever exist.

Naruto was stuck on the thought that his clan would do and risk so much for perfect strangers. He wouldn't just sit by and let people suffer either and now he saw where he got it but one thing worried him. His clan made a vow to protect the people of Fire Country, including the people of Konoha. He was sworn to protect the people that had hurt him and caused him so much pain…and he didn't think he'd be able to honour that vow. The latest attack had tainted his perception of the villagers almost irreparably and to be honest at that moment he was more inclined to let them rot on hell. He'd need to think on this more later.

"And what happened to my mother?" He asked quietly.

Sarutobi stood and went to the window. He gazed out towards Konoha for a long moment before he took a deep breath and began.

"Most of what I know I got from the Shasei's security system. It happened on a night eleven years ago…"

-/-/-/-/Flashback no jutsu/-/-/-/-

"_Push!"_

_The hospital room was empty save for the doctor and three nurses working deliver the baby of the head of the Shasei._

_Shasei Kushina sat propped up in the bed, her ankles propped wide apart on stirrups as she moaned loudly through gritted teeth as she pushed with all her might. They had been at this for over twenty hours and she could honestly say it had been one of the most exhausting twenty hours of her life. She had been having dinner with the Sarutobi's when her water broke. The Sandaime called for medics and she was whisked off to the hospital. She couldn't wait to see her little Naru-chan but he wasn't making it easy._

_She was so going to embarrass him on his first date for this._

_She doubled over as another contraction hit. _

"_Just one more push Lady Kushina, I can see the head." The doctor told her._

_Kushina sucked in a huge breath and grit her teeth to stop the screaming as she pushed with all her energy. She wished Minato were there with her. He had to go to Suna to sign some new treaty and he wouldn't be back for a few hours._

_She suddenly felt huge relief and she slumped back onto the bed in exhaustion. A second later she froze when she heard the high pitched crying of an infant and a smile slowly made its way onto her face as she realised it was over. She had a son._

_She glowed as the doctor presented her child to her. He was tiny with a cloud of blond hair atop his head and his skin was slightly pink. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The doctors cleared out of the room and in stepped the former Hokage, Sarutobi. The old man smiled down at baby Naruto._

"_How do you feel?" He asked._

_Kushina cradled Naruto in her arms. "I think I know how Jiraiya feels every time he gets caught peeping."_

_They both laughed knowing the Super Pervert was constantly going in and out of hospital for 'research related injuries' as he liked to call them._

"_Kushina you've had a rough night you should-"_

_She never got to hear what she should do when there was a commotion in the corridor outside. The door flew open to reveal one of her kinsmen. It was her cousin, Shasei Genji. His body was concealed beneath one of the Shasei's special cloaks and he seemed out of breath. The hooded, sleeveless garment was made of chakra enhanced fibres special to the Shasei that made the cloak more resilient and made the colour of the cloak shift constantly to match the surroundings of the wearer so that they were harder to spot. She also noticed blood on his face and hands._

"_Genji! What's wrong?" She asked, startled. The man ignored her as he closed the door and quickly bit his thumb before he drew a symbol on the wall. She recognised it as a silencing seal and her worry grew. Finally he turned to her, a look of urgency on his face._

"_Kushina we have a problem!"_

"_What?"_

"_It's Shiori-sama. She suddenly went on a rampage in the mountain, she's attacking our clan members and trying to escape."_

_Kushina felt the blood drain from her face. Shiori was the most gentle soul you could meet, especially towards the Shasei. The fox demon had been her teacher and friend for her entire life and there was defiantly foul play involved if Shiori was attacking the clan._

"_What caused her to go on the rampage?" She asked, going into leader mode._

_Genji shook his head. "We don't know. One minute all is fine, the next Shiori-sama comes crashing out of her den in her Nine-tailed form, trying to make for the top of the mountain to escape."_

_Kushina forced herself to remain calm although it was hard. If Shiori was on a rampage in her Nine-tailed form then things were not looking good. Shiori hadn't needed to use that form in hundreds of years; her human form was dangerous enough and the Nine-tailed form was astronomically worse._

_She looked down at her son with a great sense of emptiness. This was the first and maybe the last time she would get to hold him. She knew she needed to go to the clan village and try to stop Shiori but she didn't want to leave Naruto without a mother. If she couldn't calm Shiori down then who knew how many would be killed. It was her duty as a leader to go but it was her duty as a mother to stay. She sighed as a tear made its way down her face. She had to go. If Shiori broke out of the mountain and went for the village then Naruto and countless others would be in grave danger. _

_With a heavy heart she kissed Naruto's head and inhaled his scent before the stood and passed her son to Sarutobi. She ignored them as she went over to her clothes and pulled them on. They were fancy but combat ready as all formal Shasei clothes were. A long, black inner kimono with sleeves that came down to her mid arm and was held together by a red obi went under a larger, long sleeved black kimono with a red bonsai tree and sun design on the back. She slipped on the comfortable sandals she had taken to wearing early in her pregnancy and picked up her voulge; Yoruhiru. A Shasei never went anywhere without their weapon be it a dinner with friends or childbirth. She slipped herself a soldier pill to recover some of her energy as she turned back to Sarutobi. She walked over to gaze down at her beautiful baby boy and she had to fight to control herself._

"_I'm sorry Naruto but mommy has to go. I may not be able to some back but know that I love you and that I will always be with you. I know you'll grow up to be a strong leader and marry a nice girl one day. I love you my little Naru-chan." She whispered to him before she placed one last kiss on his head and tore herself away._

_She turned to Genji. "What is our status?"_

"_Dozens are dead and there is moderate to maximum damage to the clan village. We are holding Shiori-sama back but just barely."_

_Kushina nodded before she turned to Sarutobi. "I suggest you have the village prepare for a massive assault in case we can't control Shiori. Have the civilians moved to the shelters in the Hokage Monument and have all available ninja take up stations. I also suggest you recall all ninja out on missions and try to get word to Minato as soon as possible."_

_Sarutobi looked pleadingly at Kushina. "Kushina you can't go, you're still weak an-"_

_She cut him off. "My teacher is on the rampage and my kinsmen are dying trying to buy you time to fortify the village. I am going to assist my people Hokage-sama." She used his title to get her point across._

_Sarutobi sighed and reluctantly nodded. Kushina took one last look at her son, burning his picture into her memory before she turned and left the room, Genji on her heels._

_They quickly left the hospital and took to the roofs, aiming to get back to the mountain as quickly as possible. If Kushina was tired from childbirth she didn't show it, her mind focused on getting to her family in time to help them. They ignored the cold wind as they ran. In the distance she could hear the emergency alarms going off, signalling civilians to make for the shelters and for the ninja to make for the walls. They made it from the hospital to the gates in five minutes and dived into the forest._

_They cut through the trees and within moments Kushina could see the stairway that lead to the entrance to the village. They ran up the stairs and pulled out their medallions to see through the illusion before Kushina slapped a hand to the Key Pillar and pushed her chakra into it, praying she wasn't too late._

_Tears sprung to her eyes before the wall was even fully raised._

_The place was a disaster area. In the centre of the massive garden there was a large hole, evidently the place where Shiori began her attack. Bodies littered the ground and fallen rubble crushed the flowers and trees. She looked up and could see fire pouring from the upper levels of the village as the few remaining survivors tried to regroup._

_And there, standing tall in the middle of the garden, was Shiori. She was in her fully unleashed Nine-tailed form, a beautiful and terrible sight. She took up nearly half of the garden, her tails smashing down walls and rubble onto the ninja below her. There was blood on her fangs and a mad gleam in her eye. Even just looking at her Kushina could tell that Shiori was too far gone to listen to reason._

_So caught up in her analysis, Kushina didn't notice the huge chunk of masonry falling towards her from above until Genji shoved her out of the way. He wasn't so lucky. He was crushed completely and Kushina had to bite back a cry of anguish. Genji had been one of her favourite cousins and playmate all of her life._

_Steeling herself she slowly rose to her feet, Yoruhiru grasped firmly in her hand. She focused her eyes on Shiori and brought her thumb to her mouth. She bit her thumb, never once taking her eyes off Shiori and began to perform a series of one-handed seals. She slammed her hand to the ground while screaming at the top of her voice._

"_**KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!"**_

_There was a large burst of smoke that blanketed the area, obscuring Kushina. Shiori narrowed her eyes at this new foe and bared her fangs, a loud threatening growl rumbling in her throat._

_The smoke cleared and there stood Kushina, her arms crossed, standing on a massive lizard. The summon was tall, almost fifty meters when on all fours and one-hundred metres long with midnight-blue, almost black scales covering its body. Its underbelly was scale less but packed with rippling muscles just like the rest of its body. The creature's broad back had a row of thick spines protruding from it, leading the way down in a straight line to stop near the end of its ling tail. Clad around the creature's shoulders was a large sleeveless jacket with holes cut in it to allow the spines through that was black with golden pattern on the back depicting a circle of lizards around a pyramid shaped temple. The design was reminiscent of those used by the ancient Aztecs of the west. The lizard's long head was thin but tall like that of a T-rex and a mane of long spines protruded from the back of its skull. The summons slit yellow eyes rolled up to look at Kushina, perched on the ridge of its long snout as it spoke._

"_**LONG TIME NO SEE KUSHI-" **__The summons eyes landed on the demon fox in front of them and the destruction around them. __**"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?"**_

"_It has been a long time Tokagedaima." Kushina greeted, keeping her voice devoid of emotion. "I'm afraid I need your help one last time."_

"_**ONE LAST TIME?" **__Tokagedaima echoed in confusion. __**"KUSHINA WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"**_

_Kushina closed her eyes. "There is something wrong with Shiori. For some reason she attacked the clan and is trying to escape the mountain. I don't know what is causing her to act this way but I do know that we need to hold her here to buy time for Konoha to prepare themselves."_

_Tokagedaima looked up at Kushina. __**"YOU DON'T EXPECT TO LIVE."**__ It wasn't a question._

_Kushina smiled sadly. "I'm good but I can't defeat Shiori, only stall her."_

_Tokagedaima closed his eyes and heaved a great sigh. __**"THEN LET'S MAKE THIS ONE TO REMEMBER."**_

_Kushina nodded as she focused chakra into her feet to keep her attached to her summon just as Shiori charged._

_Tokagedaima leaped out of the way with a speed the belied his size just as one long tail came crashing down, blocking off the entrance to the village._

_Tokagedaima dug his sharp claws into the wall as he climbed the inside of the mountain until he was level with Shiori's head._

_The fox demon turned to face the lizard when Tokagedaima launched himself off the wall. He held put a claw as he streaked past her, digging long gashes into her face. Shiori roared in pain and shook her head to get the blood out of her eyes just as Tokagedaima sunk his sharp teeth into her leg and twisted, breaking it and causing the mammoth fox to come crashing down._

_The lizard summon leaped back out of the range of her tails and focused his chakra. __**"KUSHINA, I NEED SOME WIND!"**_

_The Lady Shasei nodded and flew through more one-handed seals. Tokagedaima took in a great breath of air before he opened his jaws wide and spewed forth a large torrent of fire. Kushina crossed her arms in front of her before throwing them wide open and shouting, __**"Fuuton: Daitoppa! (Wind release: Great Breakthrough)"**_

_The wind amplified the flames into a raging inferno and sent them rushing towards Shiori's downed form, burning everything in there path. Shiori roared in anger and pain as she was consumed by fire, the smell of burning fur filling the air._

_The summon and its summoner watched for signs of movement in the flames. Suddenly a burning tail whipped out and struck Tokagedaima harshly in the side, sending him flying into the air and nearly dislodging Kushina. The lizard boss managed to turn in mid-air and used his claws to catch himself on the wall high above Shiori. He grunted as he felt his ribs._

"_**THAT BROKE A FEW BONES. I CAN'T TAKE TO MANY HITS LIKE THAT KUSHINA.**_

"_I know." She replied. "Just make sure to stay out of the way of those tails."_

"_**GEE, I WONDER WHY I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT?" **__The summon grumbled as Shiori rose, having extinguished the flames. Her burned fur was already being replaced as she snarled up at the head of clan Shasei. Another of her long tails lashed up through the floors of the clan village and towards the lizard, sending massive pieces of stonework raining down upon the ground._

_Tokagedaima dropped to the ground to avoid being hit but Kushina leaped high into the air. She landed on the tail as it passed underneath and focused chakra into her feet as she moved. She ran down the tail and jumped to another to avoid being thrown as she channelled her chakra element into her blades. Lightning arced from the ends of Yoruhiru as she ran along Shiori's back, making for her head. Kushina twirled her blade as she leaped towards the Shiori's skull. She landed and drove one of Yoruhiru's blades deep into the muscle of Shiori's head, sending electricity coursing through her brain. Shiori roared in anguish as she shook her head, trying to dislodge Kushina but to no avail. Kushina used the momentum given by Shiori's head shaking to jump far through the air and land safely on Tokagedaima's head._

"_**GOOD ONE." **__He commented._

_Kushina nodded. "That will only stun her for a minute."_

"_**THEN LET'S MAKE THE BEST OF IT."**__ He sucked in another lungful of air. He aimed his head high above Shiori and opened his mouth. __**"FUUTON: RENKUUDAN! (Wind release: Drilling Air Bullet)" **__The large ball of compressed air slammed into the wall above Shiori and cut loose large pieces of the marble, sending it crashing down on Shiori's skull. The Demon Queen growled in fury as the sections of the wall stuck and she groggily pulled herself out from under them and focused her eyes on Tokagedaima, intent on crushing him. _

"_**I THINK WE PISSED HER OFF."**__ He said casually, as if they weren't facing the strongest of all demons._

"_We?" Kushina asked. "You're the one that hit her with the heavy marble."_

_Before he could remind her that she had just stuck an electrified voulge into the demon's brain, Shiori lunged for them. Using his smaller size and superior agility Tokagedaima managed to slip under her outstretched front claw and ran behind her while using his sharp claws to tear out the tendons in her legs, sending her crashing down onto the ground again._

_He didn't get away easily though as he was clipped by a flailing tail and sent spinning through the air. Kushina didn't manage to hold on this time and was tossed from his back. She landed in a tree and fell through the branches to land hard on the ground just as Shiori turned to face her. Now that she was off of Tokagedaima's back the difference in height was more pronounced than ever._

_She stepped back warily as Shiori moved slowly towards her. Their eyes locked and Kushina was saddened to see none of the compassion of warmth that was normally in Shiori's eyes, replaced by feral ferocity and unbridled anger. Suddenly Shiori's head snapped forward and Kushina barely managed to jump backwards before the fox's head crashed into the space Kushina previously occupied, sending dust and debris into the air. Kushina flipped backwards to get some space between them as Shiori raised her head out of the crater she had made._

_Kushina reversed her grip on Yoruhiru and poured even more chakra into the lightning coating the blades and waited. She didn't have to wait long before Shiori lunged for her again. Quickly Kushina drew back her arm and tossed Yoruhiru like a javelin before throwing herself out of the way. She heard Shiori's head impact the ground behind her before the huge fox bellowed in pain. Kushina looked over her shoulder to see her voulge had been driven deep into Shiori's slit eye, driving even more electricity into Shiori's head. The demon clawed at her face, trying to get the weapon loose but failed due to its small size. Eventually the weapon used up all of the chakra Kushina had stored in it and Shiori rose to her feet, one eyelid clenched shut around the weapon still embedded in it._

_A loud growl rumbled from Shiori's throat and she bared her teeth as she advanced upon Kushina. The fox was just about to take another lunge at the woman when she felt something land on her back and a powerful pair of jaws clamp down around her neck._

_Kushina watched as Tokagedaima tore at Shiori's throat, sending large droplets of blood raining down upon the grass to dye them red. The demon flailed its arms as it tried in vain to dislodge the lizard from her back. Tokagedaima tore away a hunk of Shiori's throat before he jumped off of her back, narrowly avoiding her thrashing claw._

_He landed on the ground next to Kushina and she leaped up onto his shoulder and onto his head as she bit her thumb. She swiped the bloody digit across her palm and there was a burst of smoke before Yoruhiru appeared in her hand, still covered in blood from Shiori's eye. She took a moment to catch her breath, The stress from childbirth was beginning to catch up and she couldn't last forever. She popped another soldier pill into her mouth and looked up at the sky above though the hole in the top of the mountain. They had been fighting for little over an hour now. She sighed and readied herself._

_She didn't have to wait long before Shiori pounced. Tokagedaima dodged and ran up the wall. He tore across its marble surface and put some distance between himself and the demon and it wasn't long before he was on the opposite end of the garden behind the fox._

_The lizard boss channelled wind chakra into his tail before he swung it at Shiori. __**"FUUTON: KAZEKIRI! (Wind element: Wind Cutter)" **__The large blade of air tore across the garden and Tokagedaima watched with satisfaction as three of Shiori's tails were severed and another two had very deep wounds._

_The fox demon howled in agony even as her tails regenerated. She turned to face the reptile and lunged. Tokagedaima jumped over her attack and landed on the ground over her shoulder._

"_**ANY IDEAS?" **__He panted. He was still young but this was exhausting!_

"_Just one but I'll need a minute to prepare!" She shouted back over the din of Shiori's rampage._

"_**TRY TO MAKE IT A QUICK MINUTE, HUH?"**__ He asked as he dodged another tail._

_Kushina didn't respond as she closed her eyes and focused on her task. She held Yoruhiru at her side as she began a long chain of one-handed seals. She felt her chakra build up quickly but it would still take a while._

_Tokagedaima ducked under another swipe and scurried back, out of Shiori's range. _**"I WON'T LAST LONG LIKE THIS."**_ He thought. An idea popped into his head and he smirked. He lifted up his front right claw and pushed his chakra into it. Flames covered the claw like a glove and Tokagedaima slammed it into the ground while shouting, __**"KATON: HISHINKIROU! (Fire element: Fire Mirage)". **__Thick flames rushed out from under the claw to blanket the entire garden. When the garden was completely covered, the flames rose to dizzying heights, taller than Shiori. The fire wasn't that hot but it was thick enough to prevent anyone from seeing through it, more of a realistic genjutsu than a Katon technique. The flames reversed Tokagedaima's heat vision. Instead of looking for an enemy's heat signature in a cooler environment he looked for the relatively cool body temperature in a hot environment. The flames didn't raise the body temperature so he didn't need to worry about loosing his enemy in the flames or about Kushina being burned._

_He saw the large silhouette of Shiori looking around frantically, trying to find a way out of the flames. He moved back from the demon as he watched her crash into the wall after trying to back peddle out of the flames and he chuckled. He could sense the large build up of chakra in Kushina and he knew that whatever she was planning was going to be big. _**"SHE HAD BETTER DO IT SOON THOUGH, THIS TECHNIQUE TAKES UP A LOT OF CHAKRA."**

_Kushina was unmindful of the fire roaring around her and singeing her robes, she had seen the technique performed enough times to know that she wasn't in any danger. Electricity crackled around her as lightning danced along Yoruhiru's blades and around her hands. She brought her left hand in front of her face in a half ram seal and focused the last part of her chakra. There was a light blue halo of chakra around her now, the power contained in the jutsu barely being contained. Suddenly she snapped her eyes open. They pulsed with their own energy, the turquoise glowing bright in the night darkness and giving her eyes an eerie piercing look. She brought up Yoruhiru to hold it between both of her hands, the lightning around the blades doubling in intensity. She set her sights on Shiori as the flames finally began to die out and spoke to Tokagedaima._

"_I'm ready." Her voice had a low rumble to it._

_The boss of the lizards nodded. He flexed his powerful legs and tore across the ground towards Shiori. Kushina's face stayed impassive as the demon fox turned to face the charging summon. Shiori roared her challenge and ripped up the ground as she ran to meet the lizard._

_Electricity arced around Kushina as she braced herself, her voulge grasped firmly in her hands. There was less than one-hundred metres separating them now. She could see Shiori's maw open wide in preparation for her attack._

"_NOW!"_

_She kicked off of Tokagedaima's back hard as he dodged Shiori's attack. She flew high into the air above the two massive creatures, a trail of lightning behind her. She drew back her arm, Yoruhiru held tightly in her hand as Shiori's head swung up to look at her. She met the eye of the demon she called friend as she brought her arm swiftly forward. Yoruhiru cut through the air like a bright bolt of lightning cast by an angry god to smite his enemies. Once again Kushina's weapon was driven home into Shiori's eye but this time the power contained in it was mammoth. Kushina arced gracefully over the thrashing fox and landed softly on Tokagedaima's head, her hands still crackling with energy. She slowly turned to the demon, temporarily paralysed due to the electrical energy flooding through her mind. Kushina drew her hands back before thrusting them towards Shiori while intoning the name of her most powerful jutsu, her voice rocking the very foundation of the mountain._

"_**Raiton: Nihyakuhatsuka! (Lightning element: End of the Storm Period)"**_

_Millions upon millions of volts flew from Kushina's hands in massive arcs of energy bright enough to leave scarring afterimages on the retina of anyone paying witness to the technique. The deafening sound of monstrous thunder rang loudly in the night sky. They shredded the air leaving a strong taste of burning ozone as they converged on their target._

_Yoruhiru._

_The two columns of combined to form one as they hit the weapon lodged in Shiori's eye. The Empress of demons roared in untold agony as the attack forced colossal amounts of lightning through her brain and into her nerves. She jerked violently as the electricity tore along her nerves and skin to every inch of her body from her muzzle to the tips of her tails. Every nerve cluster and pain receptor was burned out as the powerful attack coursed through her body forcing the most powerful demon to actually loose consciousness for the first time in its existence._

_Kushina fell to her knees. Sweat was pouring down her face as she panted hard. That jutsu was her greatest creation but it took up most of her chakra. She barely had enough to stay on Tokagedaima._

"_**WOAH…" **__The summon whispered in awe. He'd never before seen a Raiton technique of that magnitude before and by the look of his summoner he wouldn't see it again in this fight. It took a lot to knock out a Bijuu, especially the strongest of them. He looked up at Kushina. __**"YOU OKAY?"**_

"_I'm…fine. That technique…just…uses a lot…of…chakra…" She gasped. She wiped her brow with the sleeve of her outer kimono and shakily rose to her feet._

"_**WHAT WAS THAT?"**__ Her summon asked, intrigued._

_Kushina took a deep breath to steady her breathing. "That was the most powerful Raiton technique I have ever created. I've only ever had to use it once before and that was to decimate an army of Iwa ninja during the Third Great Shinobi War."_

"…_**SO A HANDY LITTLE JUTSU THEN?"**_

_Kushina laughed at her friend's description. _'I spend five years creating and fine tuning the most powerful Raiton technique in existence…and he calls it a 'handy little jutsu'.'

_Suddenly Shiori surged out of the smoke that covered the area, her long powerful tail hurtling towards them as she roared to the heavens. Tokagedaima cursed loudly and tried to get out of the way._

_He was too slow._

_Shiori's tail slammed into Tokagedaima's side, breaking numerous bones and sending them hurtling into the air and crashing through up the floors of the Shasei village. Kushina was tossed from her summon's back violently and crashed through a thick pillar. She bounced off the floor before she was rammed into the wall at a high velocity, cracking it. She heard and felt too many of her bones breaking and she knew that she was going to die. Pain wracked her body as blood dripped from her mouth. She looked up painfully to meet the crimson eyes of Shiori staring at her from the edge of the floor. She faintly heard Tokagedaima un-summon himself and she silently prayed that her old friend would live._

_Red to turquoise they looked at each other. Kushina's breath was ragged as she met the eyes of her teacher, her friend for her entire life. Shiori regarded the human in front of her with a primal sense of grudging respect and a of…grief? Slowly and painfully Kushina managed to form words._

"_I don't…blame you. I know…there…is something…wrong…with you. You were my…greatest friend…and the closest…thing I…had to a…sister."_

_Shiori's eyes narrowed slightly as if understanding her words somewhat before she turned away and began to scale the walls as she headed for the hole on the mountain and eventually Konoha._

_Kushina watched her go. The fight had lasted two and a half hours, far longer than she expected to last. She sighed wearily and rested her head against the wall behind her as her eyes became heavy. She had done what she could and now the fate of the village and that of her son was in the hands of Minato. Darkness encroached upon her vision and she succumbed to it but not before whispering a few final words._

"_I love you…my sweet little Naruto…"_

_And with that Kushina, Lady of the Shasei, wife of Namikaze Minato and mother of Naruto passed on to her final rest, lying among her family and the spirits of her ancestors with a small smile on her face._

-/-/-/-/Flashback end no jutsu/-/-/-/-

"After that Shiori erupted from the mountain and headed for Konoha. If it wasn't for Kushina we would have been woefully unprepared for the attack. She saved the village with her actions just as you do Naruto. I can honestly say that your mother would have been proud of you."

Tears ran down Naruto's face as he listened. The truth about his mother was greater than any fabrication he made up whenever he thought about her. She had been weak from giving birth to him and she still managed to stand toe-to-toe with the greatest of the Bijuu to give the village time to prepare itself for the attack. She had selflessly lain down her own life so that others could live. But most importantly he knew that his mother loved him and had died so that he could live. In the back of his mind he could hear Shiori weeping and he closed his eyes. He could see her sitting on the floor of her cell, her arms wrapped around her knees and her head bowed as she cried.

'_Don't cry Nee-chan.' _He told her. _'Kaa-san knew you couldn't control yourself and she forgave you. It wasn't your fault.'_

"**I know Naruto-kun but," **She wiped at her tears but more came. **"It's just that I remember the fight and remember trying **_**so hard **_**to stop. When I looked at her against that wall and heard her words I could feel my heart breaking. Kushina was the closest thing I ever had to true family and the guilt is still there."**

'_That's not true.' _He countered. _'I consider you family and if you need me to I'll forgive you for what happened because I know it wasn't your fault and I also know that Kaa-san wouldn't want you blaming yourself.'_

"…**Really?"**

'_Yes.'_

Shiori took a deep shuddering breath to try and calm herself as she wiped her eyes. **"Okay." **She said. **"I'll try not to."**

Naruto nodded his thanks and opened his eyes. He was that Anko was also crying softly and Ibiki had a unfamiliarly soft look on his face.

Anko wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her coat. "I always wondered how it happened but I could never find out, all the records were sealed."

Sarutobi turned to them. He looked more his age now than ever. "Yes it was decided that anything that connected Shiori with the Shasei would be classified at Hokage-level security status. Only me or my successor would ever find out about it."

Naruto turned to the old man, a grateful look on his tear streaked face. "Thanks Jiji."

Sarutobi smiled slightly and nodded. They sat in silence for a while as they processed the story they had just heard. It was Anko that broke the quiet.

"What now?"

Sarutobi stood up straighter and cleared his throat. "Well there is still the question of Naruto's staying in the village. After what has happened and what he has seen and heard I highly doubt he would want to remain in his apartment."

"Your damn right." Naruto said as he crossed his arms stubbornly as if to say 'Just try to move me from this spot'.

Sarutobi continued on as if Naruto hadn't spoke. "And after all that she has heard I doubt that Anko would continue to let Naruto live on his own without a guardian or at least someone to look after him?"

She scoffed. "Well of course not!" She smiled at Naruto when he looked at her wide-eyed. He shook off his surprise and smiled at her, tears of joy in his eyes. He was going to have family now after all these years.

"And Ibiki." Sarutobi turned to the large interrogation expert, his mood becoming slightly guilt ridden. "I know that Naruto won't have come away from this latest attack without some major mental trauma. I also know that you were friends with Kushina."

Anko laughed. "She just wasn't afraid of him. She kept calling him a big teddy bear that liked to act scary."

Ibiki glared at Anko as the others laughed. It was true; no matter what he did he could never scare Kushina. In fact she was the one that scared him more often than not, especially when she was pregnant.

"Yes well," Sarutobi controlled his amusement. "I'd like for you to become Naruto's psychiatrist. You know the human mind better than anyone else in Konoha and you'd be the best person for the job."

Ibiki nodded his consent. He usually used his insight into the human mind to break the mind's of enemy Shinobi and traitors but he was also called upon to hep those that have gone through traumatic experiences that dealt too much damage for normal psychiatrists to handle.

"There is also one thing I'd like to ask of both of you." Sarutobi said to the two Jounin. "If you'd be willing I'd like to legally make you both Naruto's legal guardians."

Naruto's head snapped round to face the Hokage. Legal guardians was basically someone adopting you, something Naruto had wanted for a long time. If they agreed then he would have a real family. He looked at the Jounin and tried to keep the hopefulness off his face.

It only took Anko a second to decide. "Definitely!" She had already planned to talk to the Hokage about it anyway. Kushina-sensei was the closest thing she had to a mother and had even mentioned plans about adopting her into the Shasei clan and if that happened then she really would have been Naruto's sister. She saw the look of pure joy on Naruto's face and she smiled back at him. She turned to Ibiki to see that he had one hand on his chin and a calculating look on his face.

Ibiki turned the idea over in his head. He wasn't much of a dater and he didn't expect to ever have kids. Being the head of the interrogation division gave you a rather grizzly public image and that made finding someone a lot harder. He did like the idea of having someone he could pass along his knowledge to even if it wasn't how to shatter someone's mind. Through the years he'd been the one that tortured those that had been caught breaking the Sandaime's law about Shiori and Naruto and he'd seen the medical reports on what had been done to the boy and it had made him sick. How anyone could do things like that to a child was beyond him but he made sure that those responsible got a taste of their own medicine. That guy Hito could attest to that; he didn't like being wrapped in barbed wire either. Nor did he like the dogs Ibiki had left in the room with him. He looked up at Naruto and could see the barley contained hope in the young boy's eyes and it settled it. Even he couldn't say no to a face like that.

"Alright." He agreed.

Naruto's heart soared. He finally found people that wanted to look after him. He finally had what he had wanted since his earliest memories. Family.

He couldn't stop the tears that sprung to his eyes or the huge grin that made its way to his face as he took it all in.

"Excellent!" Clapped his hands, grabbing everyone's attention and giving Naruto a chance to collect himself. "If all is settled I suggest we go to the village to pick up your things. Anko, Ibiki I will brief you on the Shasei village and the protocols you must follow within it later. If you wish I will keep your apartments I under your names so that you can continue to use them at your discretion. Also while we are in the village we should sign the legal documents so that they are out of the way."

They nodded and rose from their chairs. Naruto walked around the desk to join them and was pleasantly surprised when Anko put an arm around his shoulder. He smiled up at her and leaned into her hold as Ibiki ruffled the boys hair with a smile on his scarred face.

Sarutobi watched to soon-to-be family with a smile. Things were finally changing for the better and he would make damn well sure they stayed that way. He lead them out of the office and down the stairs, down through the floors of the Shasei village and out onto the garden as they headed for the entrance.

Naruto looked around the place and suddenly a thought came to him and he looked at Sarutobi. "Hey Jiji?"

"Yes Naruto?"

Naruto gestured at the beauty around him. "Well it's just that by the sound of it Kaa-san and Shiori-nee-chan's fight was pretty intense but this place looks brand new. How did that happen?"

Sarutobi chuckled as they made their way towards the entrance. "The Shasei have in their service a small army of chakra powered drones called Boku. They are used for labour and training purposes. It is likely they repaired the damage of the battle and tended the gardens, waiting for their masters to return. You'll find many such surprises around your new home."

Naruto smiled. His new home. He liked the sound of that.

Together the Hokage and the small family headed out into the morning sunlight and headed for Konoha and ultimately towards a better future.

* * *

**A/N: AND THERE YOU GO!!! My very first summon size battle. Oh, this is a dear diary moment! I realised that there was too much talking in this chapter and not enough action so I replayed the event in flashback. Once I started it was surprising easy to keep going and I think that it came out well.**

**Just one thing though. Before anyone starts commenting on Shiori being too underpowered please keep in mind she was in a blind rage and therefore not of her right mind. If she was thinking clearly she would have wiped the floor with Kushina (For that matter she wouldn't have attacked her at all).**

**Also I'd love to hear what everyone thought about the attacks I created, the history of the Shasei, the summon battle and…well just about everything. Please leave a review as it is a author's life blood. Wouldn't want an author to die would you? Of course not, you'd never find out what happens at the end of the story!**

**The following attacks are of my own creation. If you want to use them then ask me first:**

**Katon: Hishinkirou - Fire element: Fire Mirage**

**Raiton: Nihyakuhatsuka - Lightning element: End of the Storm Period**

**P.S: The next chapter won't be out until I post for my other story as I have been neglecting it something awful.**

**Remember to give me some of that sweet feedback.**

**Ja ne!**


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